Odaiba High
by Jenashu
Summary: DUCK QUICK!!!! Hehe, just getting your attention. Izzy has a girlfriend?! The Teenage Wolves did WHAT?! You won't want to miss this hilarious romance fic! COMPLETE!!!!
1. A Change in Izzy

Odaiba High  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of its components (such as Odaiba High and the characters). Oh! But I do own Jenashu and Carter. My friends own Lily, Indy,Adrian, and Ryn. I'm also making up names for the teachers, the classmates, and for the members of Matt's band.  
  
Jenashu: Hey everyone! It's me again. This story is about the every-day life of teenagers who attend Odaiba High, and of the students who attend...Tai's old school (I don't know what it's called-can someone enlighten me please?). Umm, this one will not have as much action as my faithful readers (about four of you) are used to recieving, but it's more honest and cute. I think you'll like it (well, I hope you will, anyway, or all of this typing is in vain)!  
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Chapter One  
A Change in Izzy  
  
Jenashu Zircona, Koushiro Izumi, and Taichi Yagami burst through the doors of 9A and into their seats, avoiding the stares of their pupils. Izzy glanced nervously at the clock.   
  
"You made it, and just in time. It's 8:08, so unpack as quickly as you can. You heard me, get moving." a woman said as she checked their names off on an attendance sheet. Jen and Izzy sighed in releif; they had never been late before, and they didn't want to start now. Tai really didn't care; he was the King of Tardiness.  
  
"That was close." Jen whispered to Izzy as they took their coats off in the hallway.   
  
"I know. I told you we should've left without Tai." Izzy replied as he placed his lunchbox in his locker.   
  
"Oh well. I don't leave my cousin behind, even if he's still in bed when he should be meeting us." Jen said. Izzy rolled his eyes, and Jen punched him playfully. "Stop it, you know I would've waited for you, too." she told him.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so." Izzy said as he opened the classroom door for Jen. They stepped inside and packed their books. Tai was talking to Sora and Matt about his latest misadventure in the Digiworld when the first class bell rang. He hurridly piled his books onto his desk and walked out of the room.   
  
"See you at lunch." Tai said. He wasn't in any of Jen and Izzy's classes (with the small exception of specials). He walked towards Level 5 Science, while his two friends went to Level 10.  
  
"As you all know, I'm assigning you new lab partners today." Mr. Rekounen said as a greeting to his class. Everyone cheered or sighed in releif. Jen smiled broadly. She hated working with Yuy; he always dropped chemicals on her uniform. He even stained her skin green once!   
  
Mr. Rekounen reeled off the names of the new partners in his loud, clear voice. "Jenashu and Drellus will be working together." he declaired. Jen smiled in releif as she took her seat next to her new partner.  
  
"Hey, Drell." she said happily. "I guess we're partners now."  
  
"Yeah, and what a releif. Working with Mizt was a living nightmare. I don't know why he's in Level 10 Science, he should be in Level 2..." Drellus said as he picked up his binder.   
  
"Koushiro and Yuy." Mr. Rekounen announced. Izzy winced heavily for a moment before taking his new seat. Jen knew what he was thinking; What color will my skin end up being when I walk out of here?  
  
Jen caught his eyes as he sat down and shrugged. "Sorry." she mouthed. Izzy rubbed his temples before mouthing, "Lucky you." in return.   
  
After a while (or an eternity, if you happened to be sitting where Koushiro was), the class bell rang. The students of Level 10 Science filed out into the hall to go to their next classes.   
  
"I don't beleive I'm stuck with Yuy!" Izzy complained.   
  
"Well, it could be worse." she said. Izzy gave her a weird look. "Um, okay, so maybe it couldn't be worse..."  
  
"Oh well. See you in World Civ." Izzy said as he walked into Level 10 Math (the equivilent of calculus, or the really, really hard stuff).   
  
"See you." Jen replied as she went to Level 8 Math. She strained to pay attention as the snow outside fell to the ground. It was much more pretty and interesting than the equations on the board.   
  
"Miss Zircona! Do you find the snow outside more interesting than my lesson?" Mrs. D (short for Drihishi) asked, breaking Jen's daze.   
  
"Yes. I mean, no ma'am!" Jen said hurridly. She gulped as Mrs. D walked towards her desk. "I'm sorry, ma'am..."  
  
Mrs. D sighed. "Well, I did that a lot when I was a kid, too. So, you are excused this time. Just don't let it happen again." she said. Jen sighed in releif.  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Thank you." she said. Sora caught her eye and mouthed "Teacher's pet!"  
  
"Am not!" Jenashu replied silently. Sora rolled her eyes and continued her work. Jen decided that it would be best to follow her example. After doing about twenty problems, the class bell rang. Jen hurried to her World Civ. class, where she sat a few seats behind Izzy.   
  
Finally, when Jen fancied her hand would fall out if she wrote one more set of notes, the class bell rang. Izzy and Jen headed towards Level 10 Health Class, and then to Level 10 English.  
  
"Ahh, lunch time! I'm so hungry!" Jen said to Izzy.   
  
"You always say that." he pointed out. Jen thought about that for a minute. She had said that yesterday, the day before, and the day before that.  
  
"Maybe you're right." Jen said offhandedly.   
  
Matt, Tai, and Sora were waiting for Jen and Izzy at the usual table. Matt was frowning and picking at a disgusting glop of cafeteria food on his plate. Tai did the same thing, only more violently; he had had no time to pack a lunch that moring, and he had not eaten any breakfast.   
  
"Well, it's gotta be better than your Mom's cooking, anyway." Jen said as she sat down next to him. Izzy sat on her other side and opened his lunch box. He pulled out a rice ball.  
  
"Here." he said, handing it to Matt.  
  
"Thanks a lot, Izzy." he said. Jen opened her lunch box and frowned.   
  
"Darn it! My brother must've taken the last Carmello!" she said.  
  
"Oh well. You've got enough chocolate in there anyway." Izzy informed her as he looked into her luch box. "Your diet is horrendous! All of this chocolate will give you pimples."   
  
"I do not! It is not! It will not!" Jen said, answering all of Izzy's comments indignitly. "Here, Tai. Take this." she said, tossing him a fudge brownie a little harder than she meant to.   
  
"I'm just concerned about your health. We can't have any fat Digidestineds, can we?" Izzy asked.  
  
"Argh! Get off of my back!" Jen said as she bit into her sandwich.   
  
"Oh, come on, he's just worried, Jen. He cares about you! Isn't that sweet?" Sora said. Izzy and Jen choked.  
  
"Of c-course I do, I mean, I care about all of the Digidestinds, there's nothing sweet about it!" Izzy exclaimed.   
  
"Sure. Tai eats like a pig, but you never say anything to him." Matt pointed out. Izzy started to blush.  
  
"I-I never noticed!" he said. Jen looked at him for a minute. "What?"  
  
"Nothing. I guess I'll lay off the chocolate a little, okay?" she said. "See? I can be reasonable."  
  
"You're also good at changing the subject." Tai said with a sly grin.  
  
"Do you want that brownie or not?" Jen snapped.  
  
"Sorry!" Tai said. He took a bite out of the brownie so Jen wouldn't want it anymore.  
  
Izzy and Jen remained rather quiet after that. Jen didn't even notice when Tai took her Twix bar.   
  
"Hey, guys." Matt said suddenly. "Who's everyone taking to the dance tomorrow night?"  
  
"I'm going with you, Matt." Sora reminded him. Tai frowned for a moment, but quickly got over it.  
  
"Jen?" Matt asked. "Going with Carter?"   
  
"Never! Never, never, never, never!" Jen cried loudly.   
  
"Okay, okay. I was just kidding. So, let's see...are you going with Yuy?"  
  
"So he could spill punch on me? No thanks. I guess I'm just going alone. Or maybe I'll stay home." Jen said slowly.  
  
"Izzy?" Matt asked. "Got a crush yet?"  
  
"No. I'd rather stay home. We have finals soon, and I need to study." he said quickly.   
  
"Well, at least I won't be alone. Can I study with you, Izzy?" Jen asked. Izzy opened his mouth to answer, but Matt cut him off.  
  
"Come on! You two don't even need to study!" Matt said. "Why don't you go together instead? Come on, it'll be boring without you guys!"  
  
"You're not kidding anybody, Matt. It wouldn't make any difference if I came or not." Jen pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, it would." Tai said. "If you don't come, then we'll have no one to pick on or play match-maker with."  
  
"You don't have a girlfriend, either." Izzy pointed out. Tai huffed and looked down.   
  
"Hey!" Jen said suddenly. "What happened to my Twix bar...?"  
  
"Umm, gotta go." Tai said. He got up and disposed his trash before running out of the cafeteria. Jen sighed.  
  
"What a stinker. Oh well, lunch is almost over. I'm going to the librairy." Jen said. She emptied her lunchbox out over the trash can and walked down the hall.  
************  
  
Izzy knew what section Jen would be in. Sure enough, she was sitting in a poufy chair in the art section with "How to Draw Manga" open in her lap.   
  
"Didn't you say something about studying?" Izzy asked as he sank into the seat next to her. He opened his own book ("My Brian My Buddy"), but didn't start to read.   
  
"I said I'd study later, but I wasn't being quite truthful." Jen said. "I just wanted to get myself out of that situation, but it didn't work very well."   
  
"Don't mind Matt and them. They're just teasing." Izzy said. Jen pulled a stray peice of hair out of her eyes before replying.   
  
"Yes...and no. I wish the wouldn't play match-maker with me. I can make my own choices and build my own relationships. I've never had a boyfriend before, but I have plenty of friends besides the Digidestineds." Jen said suddenly. It was like she had finally said something that she had been holding inside of her for ages.   
  
"I agree with you. I feel the same way, you know. I'm not nearly as popular as you, but I have made other friends, and I can definately make my own decisions." Izzy told Jen. She smiled and played with her long brown braid for a moment.  
  
"Thanks, Izzy. It feels great to have someone like you to talk to. You always understand me completely, and you always listen. You're a great friend." Jen said.   
  
"No problem...but the same goes for you, too." Izzy replied. He pretended to be absorbed in his book after that in order to hide his red face. Every now and then he heard Jen mumble something to herself about what she was reading.   
  
"No, no...It would be better if I drew it like this..." she stated in a whisper. She pulled out her sketchbook and started to draw.  
  
"Excuse me, but...drew what how?" Izzy said. Jen gave him a confused look before it clicked in her mind.  
  
"Oh, I was just talking to myself, I guess." she said before erasing something. "Could you stand still, please? Go back in that position you were in. No, no, like this..."  
  
"Why? Are you drawing me?" Izzy asked. Jen nodded and stared at Izzy face for a moment. He felt his cheeks reddening, and he quickly looked down.   
  
"Are you okay...?" Jen asked in concern. "I think maybe you should go to the health room."   
  
"Um, no! I-I'm fine, really." Izzy said quickly. Jen didn't look convinced.  
  
"Are you sure?" she presisted. Izzy nodded a few times. "Well, okay then. But if you start to feel bad, make sure you go to the health room. Gym's next, and I know how much you hate it, so..."  
  
"I wonder what we'll play today. It's snowing outside, and the gym's being decorated for the dance tomorrow night. That doesn't leave us many options." Izzy pointed out.   
  
"Yeah, well...We'll probably do something in the cafeteria. Hey, Izzy, do you remember the day we got our physical fitness scores...?" Jen asked.   
  
"Gese, don't remind me!" Izzy said, flipping a page in his book. "I'm just glad that you can't fail gym..."  
  
"Poor Izzy. Oh well, we all have to be bad at something." Jen said in a comforting way. Izzy frowned.  
  
"What are you bad at, pray tell?" Izzy asked. Jen thought a moment. What was she really bad at?  
  
"Cartwheels!" she said suddenly. "Gymnastics...arobics...anything where I have to stretch this leg too far." Jen rubbed her hand against her hip, where Izzy knew she had a long scar.   
  
"Hmm...But you're still a good athlete. I can't do anything sports-related." Izzy said with a deep frown. Actually, he really wasn't interested in sports at all, but he wasn't just bad at them; he really, really, really, sucked. He understood Jen's point that everyone was bad at something, but it was harder when it was sports. Almost everyone he knew was really good at them, and if they weren't, then they were about average. Even clumsy Yuy got chosen for sports teams before Izzy did.   
  
Not only that, Izzy reminded himself, Yuy was considered cute and/or handsome. Izzy was just the class geek. He used to be perfectly happy that way, too, but lately...Well, lately he just felt different about himself.   
  
"So?" Jen said. "You're nice, trustworthy, great with computers, a genius, and...I'm not sure if you want to hear this, but you're cute, too."  
  
"What do you mean, cute? Like some kind of stuffed rabbit or something?" Izzy asked (although he knew exactly what he meant, and he felt his whole face, neck, and ears turn red).  
  
"No, no, not like that! Or maybe it is supposed to be something like that? I'm not all that sure. My definition varies from everyone else's , but I know it's a good thing." Jen said quickly. Her pencil made a soft swish sound against the paper suddenly.   
  
Of course your definition varies from all of the other girls'! Izzy thought. It's because you're so different from the others, who can't see me as anything more than the class nerd. You're not like those bubbly idiots who think it's cool to backstab people or to ridicule them.  
  
"Thanks. I feel better about myself now." Izzy said. Jen gave him a questionate look.   
  
"You were feeling bad about yourself?" she asked. Izzy felt his mouth go dry.  
  
"Yes. I guess I was." he said slowly. Jen looked very concerned.   
  
"You should have told me. It's not good-even unhealthy-to beat yourself up or to doubt yourself. Why, anyway?" she asked. Suddenly the class bell rang and Jen shot up. She shoved her book onto the shelf and zoomed towards the girl's locker room.   
  
"What do you think we'll play today?" Tai asked as he pulled on his gym shirt on a carefully as he could (so he wouldn't mess up his hair).   
  
"Don't have a clue." Matt replied as he reached into his gym locker. Izzy noticed that there was a HUGE container of hair gel inside. Matt stuck a comb in the gelly goo and ran it through his hair. Izzy shook his head and grimaced quickly.   
  
"How did you get a sunburn in the middle of winter?" Matt asked suddenly, noticing Izzy's red shoulders and face. Izzy glanced at Matt's locker mirror and frowned nervously.   
  
"It's not a sunburn." he said as he hastilly put his gym uniform on. Matt and Tai exchanged knowing looks and smiles.   
  
"Okay Izzy, who've you been flirting with?" Matt asked with a sly look. Izzy bit his lower lip.   
  
"Don't know what you're talking about." Izzy said offhandedly. Tai laughed.   
  
"Yeah, Izzy's not assertive. The question is, who was flirting with him?" he said. Izzy frowned and walked out of the locker room. Matt and Tai presisted to annoy him with their inquiries.   
  
"Leave me alone, guys." Izzy said forcefully. Tai opened his mouth, but closed it when he saw his teacher (who gave him the evil eye).   
  
"Okay, everyone. We're having gym in the cafeteria, which means our options are slim and none. It looks like you'll have to settle for dodgeball." the teacher said. A few people groaned and mumbled, and someone shouted something about dodgeball being "just SO, like, junior high!".  
  
"Great! I always loved dodgeball." Jen said with a smile. The teacher must have heard her, because he said,  
  
"Great. Then you and Taichi can choose teams. Remember, go boy-girl." Jen frowned a little. She hated choosing teams.   
  
"Okay...I choose Matt." she said.   
  
"Hiren." Tai decided.   
  
"Sora!"  
  
"Val."  
  
After a while, long pauses followed each choice. All of the best players were all taken, but there were still about ten left.   
  
"Izzy." Jen said suddenly. He didn't seem to be listening at all. "Izzy. IZZY!"  
  
"What?" Izzy asked suddenly. Jen motioned for him to come. Izzy looked around, and was surprised at the number of people left.   
  
"I'm getting old over here, Izzy." Jen said jokingly. Izzy smiled (a bit goofily) and went to join Jen's team. Adrian complained audiably,  
  
"Jen, do you WANT to lose or something? What are you doing?"   
  
"Shut up, Adrian. If I remember correctly, you got hit in the face the last time you played dodgeball." Jen said defensively. Tai and Matt watched all of this with interest.   
  
"Alright, allow me to refresh your memories. If you get hit, you sit down. When someone on your team catches a ball from the air, everyone stands up. If you catch the ball, the person who threw it sits down. Say the ball bounces on the ground twice and rolls into my leg. That doesn't count. Also, hits in the face don't count. The object of the game is to get the whole opposite team on the ground. So, that's about it. Line the balls up on that line, and go to the wall. When I blow my whistle, run up and get them." the gym teacher instructed.   
  
So Jenashu and Taichi lined the balls up and joined their teams on the wall. The PE instructor brought his whistle to his lips and blew in it. Tai, Matt, Hiren, Sora, Val, and Adrian made wild dashes for the balls. The each grabbed one, and Val threw hers at Hiren. He dodged and hit Sora.   
  
Izzy stood still as dodgeballs flew around him. It seemed that no one was interested in hitting him, which was good news. Izzy had heard horror stories about how hard the things were, and he didn't want to feel it.   
  
He started watching Jen as she dodged right and left. It was like a game to hit her; she and Sora were the only ones near the front of the dodgeball line. It was darned hard to hit her, and all of the guys thought it a challenge. One of her favorite manuvers was to grab a ball and use it to knock three others away before throwing it at someone.   
  
"Watch it!" Sora shouted suddenly. A ball came out of no where and smacked Jen in the leg. Izzy saw her wince and curse under her breath before she flopped dejectedly onto the floor. She looked at her leg and saw a bruise forming.   
  
"Yeah!" Hiren shouted from across the line. "I told you I'd get you eventually!"   
  
"You idiot, that was in the sixth grade!" Jen said. "This bruise is turning purple. How hard did you throw that stupid thing?"  
  
"It's just a bruise!" Hiren told her. Suddenly a ball hit him hard in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. He sank onto his knees to catch his breath.   
  
"Nice one, Izzy!" Matt said in amazement as he threw another ball. "I didn't know you had it in you!" Neither, apparently, did Izzy. He stood there with his hand still held out, looking bewildered.   
  
"Yeah, that was great. Take that, Hiren!" Jen said jokingly.   
  
"Oh, be quiet." Hiren replied in a slightly high and squeky voice.   
  
"Catch it, Izzy!" Jen said suddenly. Izzy looked up and saw a ball dropping quickly into his reach. He snatched it out of the air and stared at it. Jen smiled and jumped up. "Nice catch!" she commented. Izzy just looked at her. "Well, throw it at someone!"  
  
"Oh! Right." Izzy said. He looked around and aimed at the person he knew Jen (and he) hated most; Carter. He threw the ball with all of his strentgh and hit Carter in the back (who was doing some kind of ballet-style thing to dodge another ball). Carter jumped about two feet into the air and turned around.   
  
"Sit down, Carter!" Jen sang with an evil smile on her face. Carter frowned.   
  
"Stop hitting me! Can you please find a different way to flirt?" he said. Jen grimaced.   
  
"Izzy hit you. And you're the last person on Earth that I'd ever flirt with!" she said. Carter glared at Izzy, who glared back. They stood there, locked in a hateful gaze for a moment filled with hostility and malice. Izzy hated Carter because he constantly flirted with Jen (who constantly rejected him), and was able to freely express his feelings for her (even though she flattened him for doing it). Carter, on the other hand, hated Izzy because he was in Jen's immidiate circle, and because she constantly stood up for him.   
  
Suddenly, the gym teacher blew his whistle. Jen was caught in mid-throw, and, with a dissapointed sigh, she let the ball in her hand fall to the floor. The teenagers went back to the locker rooms to change into their regular uniforms again.   
  
Izzy had no sooner stepped in front of his locker when Tai and Matt showed up. They looked smug and sly, like they knew something that everyone else didn't. Izzy didn't like the looks of it all.   
  
"Hey, Izzy, that was your best game of dodgeball ever! It brought your total of dealt hits up to two! Did you see how high Carter jumped?" Tai commented jokingly. Izzy didn't reply. "Hey, don't be mad. I was only kidding around. You've been so moody lately!"  
  
"Really?" Izzy asked without interest. He pulled his green uniform jacket out of his locker and closed it. He didn't think about what Tai had said until he was in his next class.   
  
I've been moody? What does he mean? Oh, I remember now. Tai and Matt frustrated me earlier, and I told them to let me be, and then... Izzy thought. He continued to think about his emotions until he felt something hit the side of his head. It was a peice of paper that was scrunched up in a way that made it easy to throw and open. Therefore, it could only be one thing; a note.   
  
While his Spanish teacher had her back turned to him, Izzy opened the paper up. It read in an untidy scrawl:  
  
Hey! You're not paying attention, are you? You're spacing out. Anyway, are you really studying Friday? It's not like you really need to. If you decide to stay home after all, can I study with you? I don't want to spend the night alone, and I know that you don't want to either. I don't blame you for not wanting to go to the dance, but if you change your mind, I'll go too. Now pay attention when the teacher is teaching!  
-Jen  
PS- You had a great game! See, I told you that you were talented. Thanks for walloping Hiren and Carter for me!   
  
Izzy glanced back at Jen. She smiled at him before putting on a stern face and mouthing, "pay attention, young man!". Izzy smiled and pocketed the note. He didn't start to pay attention, but instead he thought about the note. Would he go to the dance or stay home and study?  
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So, what does everyone think? Do you guys like it or...not? Well, I'll see you in the next chapter of Odaiba High; Izzy's Decision! 


	2. Izzy's Decision

Odaiba High  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or any of its components. Read last chapter's disclaimer to find out who else owns what (cuz I'm too lazy to type it again).  
  
Jenashu: Hi everyone! This is the second chapter of Odaiba High, and I hope everyone likes it so far. I'm enjoying it, but then, that's just me. One more thing; I just turned into a teen, and I'm really into mushy stories now. So, you might want to consider that, because...it's getting really soppy now. But it's still a pure Jenashu fanfic, so enjoy!!!  
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Chapter Two  
Izzy's Decision  
  
Izzy was just too pre-occupied to notice that someone had been staring at him for the whole day. Someone who was catching on to Izzy's odd behavior, and was almost sure of the cause of it.   
  
This certain someone had careless blonde hair and emerald eyes. He was Izzy's best friend outside of the Digidestineds, and the change in Izzy preplexed him. And, being as curious as he was, he decided to investigate.   
  
By the end of the day, Drellus had all of the proof he needed. He had watched Izzy and Jen blush at the lunch table, he had heard their conversation in the library, he had heard Matt and Tai's teasing, he had seen Izzy get revenge on Hiren and Carter for hurting Jen (or, in Carter's case, embarrasing her), and he had seen Jen throw a note at Izzy during Spanish class (and he had noted his red-faced reaction).   
  
Drellus now had to decide how to approach Izzy. It took him all of Spanish class to decide on his manuveur, but at least he felt prepared. How was he supposed to tell poor, oblivious Izzy that the intellegent red-head had fallen in love?  
  
"Hey, wait up you three!" Drellus shouted at Tai, Jen, and Izzy as they walked home. "Mind if I join you?"   
  
"No, not at all." Jen said cheerfully.   
  
They talked until the group had to say good bye to Tai. "Hey, Izzy. Can we talk in your room for a minute?" Drellus asked as Tai walked off.   
  
"Uh, sure." Izzy said as he pulled his keys out of his pocket. Jen shrugged and walked behind them.   
  
Both Izzy and Jen lived in the Odaiba Mansion apartment complex, and their apartments were on the same level. The three friends rode the elevator to Floor Seven in compainionable silence. Jen waved good-bye and walked into her home as Izzy and Drellus walked further down the hall.   
  
"So," Izzy said as he shut the door to his room, "what did you want to talk about?"  
  
"Well," Drellus said as he sat slowly on Izzy's bed, "lately I've noticed a sizeable change in you. And I think I've figured out what caused it."  
  
"O-oh? What do you mean?" Izzy asked a bit nervously as he sat on his computer chair.   
  
"You know what I mean. You've been spacing out in class, and you've been snapping at people. You always seem to be thinking about either something very intense or nothing at all. And your face keeps turning red." Drellus pointed out.   
  
"I-I guess that's just a part of maturing?" Izzy said. Drellus frowned.  
  
"Don't even try blaming this on "that"." he said.   
  
"Well, teenagers are supposed to be moody sometimes during this time of growth-" Izzy started.   
  
"Yeah, but I'm not seeing you getting any taller very quickly." Drellus said. Izzy frowned. He had embarrased himself for nothing.   
  
"Well, I can't explain it to you, then." Izzy said as calmly as he could. Drellus smiled with his eyes narrowed.   
  
"Then please allow me to explain it for you." he said. Izzy opened his mouth to argue, but Drellus cut him off. "You have a big crush on Jen, and you don't know how to tell her. You're shy, and you don't want to destroy the friendship you have if she disses you. Am I right?"  
  
Izzy stared at the floor, and Drellus noticed that the tips of his ears had turned a bright shade of red. They sat in silence for a few moments.   
  
"Do you really think I'm acting differently? Is it obvious?" Izzy asked finally. Drellus gave him a weird look.  
  
"Yes. You're always spacing out (even more than usual). It must be pretty obvious, because I've noticed, Tai has noticed, and Matt has noticed." he pointed out. Izzy remained silent.   
  
"Do you think she'd be mad at me if I told her?" he asked.   
  
"No, I don't. Not at all." Drellus said. Izzy didn't look very convinced. "Look, Izzy. I'm your friend, and I'm going to stick with you. So now I'm going over Jen's house to talk to her-"  
  
"No way! I don't want you to tell her!" Izzy said hurridly. Drellus smiled.   
  
"Don't worry. I'm only going to see if I can get her to talk. You know, find out if she would get mad at you or not." he explained. Once again, Izzy looked like he was having doubts, but Drellus left before he could object.  
*************   
  
"Hey, Jen." Drellus called as he knocked on her door. "Jen!"   
  
"Drell?" Jen asked as she opened the door. She sounded mildly surprised. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing, really. Just wanted to talk." Drellus said. Jen looked at him curiously.   
  
"Okay." she said as she stepped away from the door. "What did you want to talk about?"  
  
"Well," Drellus said, "have you noticed that Izzy's been acting weird lately?"   
  
Jen looked thoughtful. "Yes. I was hoping you would talk to him about it. I can't understand why he won't tell me what's on his mind. He used to tell me everything..." she trailed off. Drellus could see the worry in Jen's eyes.   
  
"It's okay, I'm sure he's fine. Maybe it has something to do with "that"." Drellus said. Jen blinked at him a moment before she understood what he meant.   
  
"Yeah, I guess that's not something a guy would want to discuss...expecially with a girl...But still, I don't know..." Jen said.   
  
"You seem pretty worried." Drellus pointed out. Jen started twirling her braid between her fingers.   
  
"Well, yeah-I've known him since I was eight, after all..." she said. Drellus noticed a tinge of pink on her creamy-peach-colored cheeks.   
  
"Hmm. Jen, I think I should go home now, or my Mom'll start worrying. Don't worry, I'm sure Izzy will tell you what's wrong sometime soon." Drellus said as he walked out of her room. And if he doesn't tell you, then I'll make him. He can't keep acting so strangely much longer, or I'll go crazy! he added to himself.   
**************  
  
Later that night, Jen decided to call Izzy. She needed to know what his decision was. So she picked up her phone and dialed his number.   
  
"Hello, this is the Izumi residence." a friendly female voice said.  
  
"Hi, Mrs.Izumi! It's Jen. May I speak to Izzy, please?" Jen said, trying to sound as polite as possible.  
  
"Of course you may! I'll go and get him for you." Mrs. Izumi replied.  
  
"Thanks." Jen said. A few moments later, she heard Izzy's voice on the line.   
  
"Hello, Jen?" he asked.  
  
"Hey!" Jen said. She decided to get right to the point. "I wanted to know if you decided about tomorrow night."   
  
"Uh, umm..." Izzy stammered. He still didn't know. His mind wrestled with his heart for a moment, and his big brain won. "Yeah. I decided to stay home."  
  
"Oh, okay." Jen said with a small, inaudiable sigh of dissapointment. "So can I study with you?"  
  
Mrs.Izumi must've understood what was going on, because she said, "Why don't you invite her to dinner?". Izzy gawked at her.   
  
"Umm, can you hold on for a second, Jen?" he asked as he put the phone down. "Mom, I don't know about that..."  
  
"Well, I know that there's a dance at your school tomorrow night. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it seems that Jen was going to go to the dance with you, but you decided not to go. So, she must still have an open night. Why don't you invite her to dinner?" Mrs.Izumi asked.  
  
"But, Mom, I don't know..." Izzy said uneasily.  
  
"Izzy, when I was Jen's age, I would've loved to be invited to dinner with such a fine young man as yourself." Mrs.Izumi informed her son.   
  
"...Okay..." Izzy said as he lifted the phone. "Hey, Jen...Why don't you come over to my house for dinner tomorrow?"  
  
Mrs. Izumi rubbed her forehead. Izzy's proposal had sounded too undecided and forced.  
  
"Sure, okay!" Jen replied with a smile.   
  
"Great. See you tomorrow." Izzy said before hanging up. He gave his mother a pleading look.   
  
"What do I do?" he asked.   
  
"Don't worry, you'll be fine. I think maybe you should talk to your father if you're that worried about it." she replied.   
  
Izzy sighed and went to his room. He instinctively turned his laptop on and got online. He saw that Matt was on, too. Matt sent him an instant message.  
  
HotBoy4u2Luv: Hi Izzy  
CompuGeek: Hi  
HotBoy4u2Luv: What's up?  
CompuGeek: ...Hey, Matt, you've been on a lot of dates, right?  
HotBoy4u2Luv: Yeah, why?  
CompuGeek: No reason, really. Are they, well, hard?  
HotBoy4u2Luv: What do you mean, hard? And who are you going on a date with? It's about time!  
CompuGeek: My Mom needs the phone, bye!  
HotBoy4u2Luv: Hold up!!  
  
That was the dumbest thing I've ever done. Now I'll never get any peace as long as I live, Izzy thought as he logged off. Matt's gonna tell Tai, who's gonna tell Joe, who's gonna tell...well, anyway, then Tai will tell Davis, Matt will tell TK, and they'll tell everyone...Adrian's gonna find out, and then I'll be really dead...  
  
Izzy was correct in his thinking; gossip traveled faster than colds in his school, even when class was out. Overnight, it seemed, the rumor that the biggest geek of the freshman year was going on a date became common knowledge. The only thing that got Izzy out of bed the next day was a major math test.  
  
At exactly 7:30, Izzy heard a the usual knock on his front door. "Bye, Mom." he said as he opened the door.   
  
"Have a good day, Dear." his mother replied as she handed her son his lunch. Izzy frowned a moment and thought, yeah, I wish.  
  
"Hey Izzy, good morning!" Jen said as Izzy stepped into the hall. "I need to talk to you about something weird."  
  
"Really?" Izzy asked nervously as he closed the door.  
  
"Yeah. Ya see, I got a really weird phone call last night...a few of them, actually..."  
  
"I already know what you're talking about. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything to Matt."  
  
"Izzy, that was suicide! I wondered how Lulu could have possibly found out, and Sora, and even Val! They all made it sound like it's like, well, a date or something." Jen said.  
  
"Don't be mad at me..." Izzy pleaded. Jen gave him a funny look.  
  
"Well, it is your fault, ya know..." she said slowly.   
  
"It is, I do know...That was the stupidest thing I've ever done."  
  
"I don't know. Remember the time everyone was playing truth-or-dare at Mimi's party that one night? And you chose dare, which was really stupid, and Tai made you-" Jen started.  
  
"Okay, okay! Give me a break! That's besides the point, anyway." Izzy said. That game of truth-or-dare was not something that Izzy wanted to think about ever again.  
  
"What is the point?" Jen asked in a challenging way.  
  
"The point is...I made a major mistake that effects both of us." Izzy replied. Jen's expression softened immediately.   
  
"Okay, I can't be mad anymore..." she said. "What do you think we should say when someone asks us about it?"  
  
"Wait a sec..." Izzy said as he stopped to think. He couldn't seem to find a reasonable answer.   
  
"Umm, Izzy?" Jen asked suddenly.   
  
"Hold on, I'm thinking..."   
  
"No, this is something else. Umm, is this, like...a-a...date, like everyone thinks it is?" Jen asked quickly. Izzy stared at her.  
  
"I dunno! Just, whatever..." he said. Suddenly he realized how much he sounded like Tai just then and grimaced.   
  
"Izzy, what's wrong with you lately, huh? That didn't sound like something you'd normally say, ya know!" Jen said. Her face was a brilliant shade of red, and Izzy could only hope that it wasn't because of anger.  
  
"I don't know!" Izzy exclaimed. "Maybe I'm ill..."  
  
"So you invited me over because you're ill?!"  
  
"No, that's not it!"  
  
"Then why?"  
  
"Well, actually, my Mom suggested it-"  
  
"Oh, thanks. At least I know your Mom likes me."  
  
"I like you!" Izzy cried desperately.   
  
"Aha!" Jen cried as she pressed her index finger against Izzy's chest. "I got you! I got you! I made you say it!". Izzy stared at her for a moment before it clicked.   
  
"...Now that was clever. I'm impressed!" Izzy said, practically laughing with relief.   
  
"So, it's a date, then?" Jen asked.   
  
"Yeah. Prodigious!" Izzy said with a goofy smile.   
  
"Now that's my Izzy!" Jen exclaimed. "I'm glad you're back!"  
  
"Me, too. Sorry about that." Izzy said. He felt like there was a happy balloon bouncing around inside of him.   
  
"That's okay. Ack! We'd better get going!" Jen said suddenly, glancing at her watch. She set off at a run towards Tai's apartment, and Izzy followed after her.   
**************************************************************************************  
Jenashu: I'm having mixed feelings about that, but I think it's really kawaii. What do you think of the screen names that I gave Matt and Izzy? Well, I'll see you in the next chapter! 


	3. So, It's a Date

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. There are some original characters here, but you'll know them when you see them. Also, Adrian was created by Little Indigo.  
  
Jenashu: So here it is; the third chapter of Odaiba High. Maybe you should know that my knowledge of Japanease food is slim and none. The extent in what I know is rice, wasapi, rice balls, dim sum (or is it gim sum?), sushi, and I think it's called bokuri. So anyway, the food at Izzy's house will not be specific; it'll just be food, plain and simple. Well, enjoy!  
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Odaiba High  
So, It's a Date  
  
"So, is it true Jen? Are you going on a date with Izzy?" Sora whispered as Jen put her books onto her desk. Jen whiped the sweat away that had formed on her forehead during her wild dash to school and sat down slowly.   
  
"Well," she started, smiling quite goofily, "yeah, it's true...But I'm kind of nervous...very excited, too..." she admitted. Sora gave her a sympathetic smile.   
  
"I think you'll be fine. It's not like Izzy'll care if you do something stupid." she said. Jen gave her a blank look.   
  
"How do you know that?" she asked with a slight frown.   
  
"Come on, it's so obvious! I'll bet he's staring at you with that far-out look of his right now! I can't believe you didn't know he has a crush on you!" Sora exclaimed. Jen glanced quickly over her shoulder and saw that Izzy was indeed gawking at her, and he did have a really goofy look on his face. Their eyes locked, and Izzy quickly blushed and looked away.   
  
"Erm...Anyway, I don't believe you knew that he had a crush on me and didn't say anything! That would've made my life so much easier!" Jen complained.   
  
"Well, it was so obvious that I thought you knew...and I didn't want to tease you..." Sora said. Jen frowned and opened her mouth to argue, but the class bell rang and Sora ran out of the room.  
******  
  
Jen sat down awkwardly next to Izzy at the lunch table. She hoped that Matt and Tai would just shut up and not say anything about the whole dinner thing, but that was wishful thinking.   
  
"Soooo..." Matt said as he sat down next to Tai, "I guess you two aren't going to the dance tonight. You've got something else to do, I've heard, and it's not studying."   
  
"Put a sock in it, Matt." Jen said as she took a bite from her fudge brownie (A/N: I love those things!!!). "You don't need to tease us."  
  
"Of course I do!" Matt said with a laugh.   
  
"Yeah," Izzy mumbled, "your life depends on it."   
  
"Don't be angry, Izzy! You should be nicer to me; I may just decide to give you some advice from The Master." Matt said superiorly. Izzy looked at him with an arched brow, and Jen snorted in her chocolate pudding.   
  
"The Master Pretty Boy?" she whispered to Izzy. He fought hard to keep a straight face.   
  
"Ah, whispering sweet nothings, Jen?" Matt and Tai asked at once. They broke out laughing.   
  
"You two are making me really mad..." Jen started dangerously. The two boys ignored her and continued to laugh. "Guys! Stop teasing us!".   
  
"Yeah Tai, and least Izzy's got a girlfriend." Matt said, switching targets. Tai frowned deeply.   
  
"Excuse me, I am not Izzy's girlfriend! It's just one little date, I don't know why everyone's fussing so much over it!" Jen shouted at the top of her lungs. Everyone in the cafeteria grew quiet and turned around to look at Jen. "What? Why is everyone staring?" she asked weakly after a few tense moments of silence.   
*****  
  
After a very long day, Jen was able to walk home. She wasn't sad at all when Tai walked towards his apartment and finally left she and Izzy alone. "What a day. I'm really sorry Izzy, I know I made it worse at lunch." Jen said when Tai was out of sight.   
  
"It's okay. No one would've known in the first place if I hadn't told Matt." Izzy said. Jen smiled happily; she was glad that Izzy was so understanding. After a while, Izzy broke the friendly silence that had been between them.   
  
"It's kind of funny, isn't it?" he said. Jen gave him a questionate look, so he decided to explain. "Well, we were always like best friends...and I just thought that most guys (or girls) would meet someone in high school and they would start dating. It didn't occur to me that it could work like this, you know?"  
  
"Yeah, I never thought about that. I wonder if there's a transition to be made. Um, what I mean is, well, the change from being friends to being, um, like a couple or something. If that does happen, I mean." Jen said. She wasn't sure if that was such a great thing to say as soon as the words came out of her mouth.  
  
"I don't know." Izzy said after a slight pause. "...Do you think...that anything will come out of this...?"   
  
"Not sure...but, well, I hope so." Jen said. She was very glad that Odaiba Mansion was coming into view. Her face felt like it was on fire.   
  
"Yeah...I do, too." Izzy added quickly. Jen suddenly felt like reaching for his hand or doing something of that sort, but her heart was beating too quickly. Instead, she nodded slowly and pulled her keys out of her pocket.   
  
"See you later." she said as she started up the stairs. Did I say something wrong?, Izzy thought. Why didn't she go up in the elevator with me like we usually do?  
  
Jen did her homework before closing herself in the bathroom and staing at her reflection. The voice of her friend Mimi echoed in her head as she examined her features. "You're very pretty, Jen! I mean, look at how that guy's checking you out!"(A/N: This is an inside joke). Jen sighed. I don't know, she thought. It's just that...I look like this every day. Maybe I should do something different? She stared at herself until she had it all planned out.   
****  
  
Izzy sat on his bed to think. What should I do? I don't think most guys have dates at their house...Oh well. Hey, whatever Mom's making, it smells scrumptious! Prodigious, it's my favorite!   
Izzy wasn't very worried anymore, but he couldn't explain why. He only knew that he had his Mom to thank for it (awww).  
****  
  
A while later, a timid knock was heard on the door of the Izumis. Izzy walked towards the door and took a deep breath before pulling it open. The breath that he had taken left his chest when he saw the teenage girl on the other side. Jen had finally let her long hair down instead of binding it up in a tight braid, and she was wearing an outfit that served her very well.   
  
"Hi...I'm here." Jen said after a short silence.   
  
"So I gathered." Izzy said with a smile. Jen laughed and took off her shoes.   
  
"Oh, Jen, how are you?" Mrs.Izumi asked as she stepped into the hallway. "You've got perfect timing; I just got finished cooking."   
  
"Great! It smells really good, too." Jen said. Mrs.Izumi smiled and led Jen to the dining room, as if she hadn't been there before. Mr.Izumi was already there. He exchanged greeting with Jen as his wife brought in food.   
  
Both Jen and Izzy appriciated that Izzy's parents kept the conversation flowing without asking the teens about their relationship. Jen was enjoying herself very much, but she was quite surprised when Mr. and Mrs.Izumi picked up all of the plates and brought in a dessert.   
  
"We'll just leave you two alone." Mr. Izumi said as he put down the dessert and left. A silence passed by before Izzy cleared his throat. Jen gave him a questionate look.   
  
"Just a question, but...are you afraid of saying something stupid?" he asked. Jen blinked.   
  
"Yeah, I am, actually..." she admitted. Izzy smiled.   
  
"Don't be. It's okay, I just want you to be yourself." he said.   
  
"Ok. I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm...kind of nervous." Jen replied. Izzy reached out and put his hand on hers. After that, some kind of bridge of understanding formed between them, and they were able to have a normal conversation again.   
  
"Oh!" Jen said a while later. "Look! It's already nine thirty! I guess I should go home...I have a math test tomorrow, and my Mom said something about not coming home late..." Jen trailed off. Izzy nodded, and the two walked out of the dining room. Jen thanked Izzy's parents and before placing her hand on the doorknob.   
  
She suddenly felt Izzy's hand on her shoulder. Jen's fingers twisted the doorknob, and both of them walked into the hallway. "Thanks for having me, Izzy. I'm glad you invited me over." she said.   
  
"Me, too. Listen, Jen...I was thinking. Maybe we could go out some time?" he said as his face grew red.   
  
"Sure! I would like that. See you, Izzy. Good night." Jen replied before walking towards her apartment. Izzy watched her until she turned around the corner. Maybe next time...he thought.  
************************************************************************************  
Jen: So, there you go! I know it may seem hard to write more to this, but I do have a really good idea, so please stick around! Now, before you go, I'd like to point something out. Just below this text, there is a box with the words click to submit review on it. Drag you mouse over it and click upon it. When the box pops up, wright a review. Wasn't that easy? See, I knew you could do it ^-^ 


	4. The World School Challenge

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Indy owns Indy and Adrian. Even though I'm about the only person who writes about Lily and Ryn, they really own themselves. Funny how that works, nyu?  
  
Jenashu: I was having such a bad day until I got online and saw that the reviews for Odaiba High had literally doubled. That made me feel so much better! I love you guys! *hugs her reviewers* Thank you, you really made my day! Since you were so nice, I decided to write the new chapter ASAP. Thanks again!^-^ Oh, since I think Jenashu's finally gaining some popularity, I'm going to write a bio for her. It'll be at the end of the fic so that you can skip it if you really don't care to read it. Well, please keep reviewing, because it makes me so happy!   
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The World School Challenge  
  
"Prodigious!" Izzy shouted as he read the news on a website. The weekend had passed, but he had gotten up early to do some websurfing. "This can't be true! I don't believe it!" he added with rising excitement. This was not true, of course; Izzy knew his laptop would never fail him, so of course he believed the announcement.   
  
"Jen! Jen!" Izzy said at 7:30 when she opened his door. "Something big is happening!"  
  
"Oh no! Okay, what's trying to destroy the world this time?" she asked with a frown. Izzy shook his head.   
  
"No, that's not what I meant. The World School Challenge is going to be held this year, and Odaiba High is going to try to make it!" he exclaimed. His words, however, did not have the impact that he expected. Jen gave him a blank stare.   
  
"What's that? And who gave it such a lame name?" she asked. Izzy frowned in frustration.   
  
"Okay, I'll explain it. Now that I think about it, though, The World School Challenge is a rather uninteresting name (A/N: My own characters are insulting me...*sweatdrop*), but it is a coherent one. You see, this is a competition between high schools all around the planet (A/N: So what if this would never happen?). Before this can happen, each country much have a preliminary compition to decide who will represent them in the actual event."  
  
"How do the schools compete?" Jen wondered.   
  
"That's what makes this such an interesting event; representitives compete in almost everything you can comprehend. Singing, bands, academic boards, all kinds of sports, arts, everything!" Izzy said. He continued to tell Jen and, eventually, Tai all about it until they walked into their homeroom.   
  
"Quiet, quiet class! Settle down!" Mrs. Hitosha shouted over the babble of her students. Hands shot up all over the room. "Yes, yes, I know what all of you are so anxious about. It can wait until after I take roll." she added. Finally, she finished calling names and straightened her top in a superior way.   
  
"Now, you all know-since you weren't supposed to-about the World School Challenge. It's been being prepared since last year, but somehow the word finally managed to leak out, and the actual competition will be three months from now. The reps will be chosen at the end of this month, and the Japan School Challenge will be at the end of next month. Being a rep has its perks, of course. One of them is traveling around the world to compete. Some others are a trip to an amusement park in America, a ball in Paris, and a kite flying contest in China. However, if you try to get in for the perks, I can assure you that you will fail. I hope you will all represent Odaiba High with pride." Mrs.Hitosha said.  
  
"Hey, Jen!" Tai whispered behind her. "Are you going to try for a rep?"   
  
"You can discuss that later, Mr.Yagami." Mrs.Hitosha said primly. Tai shrunk back in his seat.   
******  
  
"So, are you guys going to try for a rep?" Tai asked again after school.   
  
"Yes!" everyone chourosed.   
  
"The Teenage Wolves are going to be a band rep." Matt said.  
  
"Yes, I'm going to sing, too." Jen declaired.   
  
"Tennis for me!" Sora chimmed in.   
  
"I'll be on the academic board." Izzy said confidently.  
  
"Great. I'll be on the rep soccor team." Tai said. "I'm glad we're all going to take a stab at this."  
***************************************************************************  
  
Jenashu Zircona  
  
Nicknames: Jen, Jenny, Alien form Planet Happy, The Girl Who Knows All, Human Dictionary, Fudge Bunny  
Age: 16  
Birthstone: garnet (you figure out the month^^)  
Skills: singing, drawing, softball, writing, school, video games  
Weaknesses: arguments, gymnastics, redheads (well!)  
Likes: Anime, Manga, purple, cats, horses, computers, chocolate, spaghetti pie, white, reading, music  
Dislikes: boredom, mosquitoes, pork, almost all vegetables, spiders  
Career Goals: Singer, Manga Artist, Marine Biologist, Author  
Family mentioned in this story: Tai, Kari, Lily (cousins) Justin (older brother)  
  
Jen is a character that I modeled after myself. This makes it easy to write about her. She's overly cheerful like me (honestly, I have friends who call me "Alien From Planet Happy"), but she likes shy, quiet guys. Well, that's about all that you need to know. Wait, just one more thing; tomorrow (the 13th) I'm going to an auidition. If I sing well and I make the cut, I get to be in a show in a famous theatre! I can't tell you the name because then you'll know where I live (I prefer to remain an inegma), but please wish me luck! This is a big thing to me!  
****************************************************************************  
Well, the next chapter will feature the Digidestineds' auiditions. Please, click upon the review box under this text and drop me a message! I love to read your feedback! 


	5. The Japan School Challenge

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or Sarah McLachlan's song Angel.  
  
Jenashu: Well, here we are; chapter five! The groundwork for The World School Challenge starts here! So, I hope everyone enjoys!  
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The Japan School Challenge  
  
Jen smoothed her dress absentmindedly as she stood backstage. She was up next to sing. "Come on," she told herself, "everyone else made it. I'm going with them!". It was true; Matt, Tai, Izzy, and Sora had all made it into The World School Challenge. They were going to be representatives, and now the pressure was on Jen. Being left behind was definately the last thing on her priority list.   
  
"Miss Jenashu Zircona is up next." a voice called from a speaker in the auiditorium. Jen took a deep breath before walking onto the stage. She immediately saw the Digidestineds in a long row of seats. Even the new guys had shown up. Jen smiled and instantly felt a little less nervous.   
  
"Spend all your time waiting  
for that second chance  
for a break that would make it okay  
Always some reason   
to feel not good enough  
and it's hard at the end of the day  
I need some distraction  
oh, beautiful release  
memory seep from my veins  
let me be empty,   
oh and weightless and maybe  
I'll find some peace tonight..."  
  
Yolei, Davis, Ken, and Cody gawked at her. They never knew she could sing! Izzy smiled when he saw the looks on their faces before returning his attention to the song.  
  
"In the arms of the angel  
fly away from here  
from this dark, cold hotel room  
and the endlessness that you fear  
you are pulled from the wreckage   
of your silent reverie  
you're in the arms of the angel  
may you find some comfort here"  
  
"Hey," Tai whispered to Matt as he played his role as a good cousin and applauded vigourously, "I thought the song was a lot longer than that."  
  
"You have to cut the song to two minutes. It happened to us, too." he replied over the noise of the crowd. "You know, I think she'll make it."  
  
"I hope so." Izzy broke in. Tai and Matt gave him sly grins.  
  
"What, you can't bear to be seperated from her?" Tai asked. Izzy snorted.   
  
"I'd miss her at first, but I'd forget about it after a while. You know, just like you were when your brain decided that you had ignored it long enough and left." Izzy replied.   
  
"What!" Tai started, but Izzy elbowed him sharply in the ribs.   
  
"Be quiet up there! They're gonna say who the rep is!" Yolei said, pointing to the stage. A sudden hush fell over the crowd.  
  
"Well, we heard a lot of great voices today," a smiling woman judge said cheerfully," and it was very hard to choose the rep. But the person is...Jenashu Zircona (A/N: Well, if this didn't happen, I wouldn't have a story here)!!!". The Digidestineds cheered loudly.  
*******  
  
Two months passed (and fast, too!), and the Digidestineds were standing outside a large, important-looking building. Thousands of people were there, and about ten different school uniforms could be seen on the teenagers that stood in a long line, waiting to go inside.   
  
Jen looked at all of her friends with a smile. She allowed her gaze to linger on Izzy, who was standing right beside her. With all of the preperations for The Japan School Challenge, they had not had the time to go out anywhere together. However, Jen was now almost able to consider herself as Izzy's girlfriend. She reached for his hand and held it tightly.   
  
"Are you excited?" Izzy asked Jen. He had subconciously started speaking to her in a softer voice than he usually used about a month ago.   
  
"Yes...I'm nervous, too..." Jen trailed off. Vaugely she wondered why she still couldn't consider she and Izzy a couple. Perhaps it was because she hadn't experianced the whole 'girly high school thing' (A/N: This is also known as a girl's first kiss, and no, there is no 'guy-ie high school thing'), but she couldn't be sure.   
  
"Man, look at those two. I swear, all this PDA (A/N: Thank you, Lily, for teaching me this erm, useful term) stuff is gonna make me gag." Tai complained to Matt. He shrugged in return and pointed towards the building.   
  
"We're almost inside." he said. "It's a good thing, too; my feet are killing me." A few moments later, the Digidestineds were in a beautiful, humoungous room. Luckily, they had already signed into the hotel that was boarding the reps ahead of time, so they had one less thing to worry about.   
  
"Hey!" Sora cried in protest as someone stepped on her foot. "It's so crowded in here!"   
  
"It's about to get worse. Look, they want us to go in there." Matt said, pointing towards a smaller room. After being bumped into about a million times, everyone was sitting in an auditorium. They were briefed on the rules of The World School Challenge before being sent back to the hotel to eat dinner and sleep.   
  
"I don't beleive we came into here just for that." Tai grumbled as a bus took them to the hotel.   
  
"Come on, Tai. Cheer up! Tomorrow's the Japan School Challenge!" Jen said brightly from the seat behind him. Tai grunted in reply.   
  
"Does he snore?" Izzy whispered to Jen. He had to share a room with Matt and Tai.   
  
"Both of them do." Jen said with a laugh. Izzy frowned. "C'mon, smile! I'm excited, be happy with me!" she added. Izzy placed his hand on hers and gazed out the window until they arrived at the hotel.   
*****  
  
The next day, everyone got up bright and early. Jen prowled around the room she shared with Sora uneasily until it was time to eat breakfast. No one seemed to think that they could keep down anything that they ate. Finally, it was time to leave.   
  
"The first competition is for the academic board reps. All academic board reps should report to room A-16." a speaker boomed into the auiditorium that the students had been in the night before. Izzy stood up shakily. Jen reached out and grabbed his hands, which had suddenly gotten sweaty.   
  
"Good luck, Izzy. Don't worry, you'll be great! We're all rooting for you." she said. Izzy gave her a weak smile before slidding his hands reluctantly from hers and walking out of the room.   
  
Ten minutes later, the academic board reps walked onto the stage in front of the students. Jen immediately found Izzy, and she waved cheerfully at him. He gave her another quick smile before staing intently at a podium. The host of the Academic Challenge (A/N: I hope you like the word 'challenge'. Due to a lack of synonems that sound as good (or perhaps a lack of creativity *sweatdrop*) you will hear it a lot in the story) stood behind it.   
  
"First we'll ask questions in categories. In the last of the three rounds, all of the questions will be on completely different and random subjects. Good luck everyone. The first match will be between the Odaiba High board and the Resuki High board." he explained. The audiance burst into applause as the two boards took their seats.   
  
After the first round, Odaiba High was in the lead. The score was 1500 points to 1200 points. Jen was glad that she wasn't up there, as she knew almost nothing about the categories. Izzy, however, was doing excellent. Drellus and two seniors were also on the board, but they didn't answer half as many questions among themselves as Izzy did. Even though her chances of going to The World School Challenge were on the line, Jen couldn't help feeling a little bored by the end of the second round. Finally, it was over, and Odaiba was way ahead of Resuki. A green tidal wave ran stood up in the audiance seats and screamed happily when they were pronounced the victors. Jen saw Izzy walk off of the stage, and she slipped out when no one was watching.   
  
Jen's footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as she peered into opened doorways. Suddenly, she wasn't alone. The Odaiba High board walked out of a room, smiling and laughing.   
  
"Congratulations!" Jen said brightly to them. A senior boy named Hitoshi smiled at her.   
  
"Hey, I've seen you around. Aren't you that 'Angel girl'?" he asked.   
  
"Umm, that's the song I'm singing...Anyway, good job." she said, turning towards Izzy. She opened her mouth to talk to him when Drellus cut her off.   
  
"Izzy was answering all of the questions..." he trailed off. "Save some for me next time. I'm not as fast with a buzzer as you are. Slow down a little, I'd like a girl to come and tell me 'good job' too." he said, smiling slyly.   
  
"Oh, we're in a catty mood, are we?" Izzy asked as he waved off Drell's comment. "See you later." he added pointedly. Drell took the hint and left Jen and Izzy alone, wisely choosing not to tease them further.   
  
"You were so great up there!" Jen told Izzy happily. " You've set the mood! Now I know everyone else from Odaiba will do great to keep up with you brainy guys." she added, refraining from calling them "nerdy guys".   
  
"Thanks..." Izzy said with a goofy smile. "But I'm glad that I don't have to get up on stage again today. It's so nerve-wracking..."   
  
"I like to be on stage." Jen commented.   
  
"I'm not outgoing like you are. The reason I came was because I didn't want to miss out on this. It's really a once-in-a-lifetime experiance. And...I didn't want to be stuck in Odaiba...while you were in another country." Izzy admitted. "It's just too far, too long...I-I would start to miss you."   
  
"Really?" Jen asked. Izzy nodded sheepishly and looked at the floor. Jen felt her heart beating so fast that she could almost hear it, too. "Thanks. I would've missed you, too. I'm glad you're here."   
  
Jen stepped forward awkwardly and gently wrapped her arms around Izzy for a quick moment. She was almost afraid that he would feel her heartbeat against his chest, so she tried to step back. But she found that Izzy was holding her close to him, not the other way around.   
  
"Umm, Izzy..." Jen started softly. She realized that she had subconsiously rested her head on Izzy's shoulder. She was whispering so she would not hurt his ear, which was so close to her lips. "Are we going to watch the next match?"  
  
"Not unless you want to..." Izzy replied. However, he got the message; Jen was telling him that a hug had to end at some point. So he reluctantly released her and took a small step back. "It may just be me, but it's hot in there, expecially with all of those people staring at you. Let's go outside somewhere. It would be nice to have some fresh air. Umm, if that's okay with you."   
  
"Okay!" Jen said happily. However, her break with Izzy didn't last very long. Perhaps she lost all track of time while she sat so close to Izzy with a gentle breeze toying with her hair, but it seemed like they were calling her up to sing in only a minute after she sat down beside him.  
*******  
  
Five days later, all of the schools were crammed into the auditorium again. The academic board for Odaiba had gone all the way to the top, winning their school 5,000 points, plus a bonus of 3,500 points. Jen and Matt earned 3,500 out of 4,000 points, and Tai's soccor team won another 5,000 points. Sora's tennis team had a very bad day, but it hardly made a differance; Odaiba High did extremely well in all areas.   
  
"The high school that will represent Japan in The World School Challenge is...Odaiba High!" the man from the academic board competition announced. Once again, the Odaiba reps, clad in green uniforms, exploded into cheers.   
  
"We're going! We're going!" Jen and Sora exclaimed.   
  
"We'll win the rest of this thing, too!" Tai declaired.   
****************************************************************************  
Is Tai right? Will Japan and the Odaiba High reps go all the way? And what about all of those nice perks? We'll see what happens next! Now please click up the review box below this and send me you thoughts! 


	6. Garu Sayoe

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or Six Flags.  
  
Jenashu: Hi everyone! Remember what I wrote in chapter 4 about going to a singing auidition? Well, I got my letter and...I MADE IT!!! I know you could probably care less, but...^-^ Anyway, enjoy the next chapter of Odaiba High! Oh, one more quick thing. I know, I know, it makes me look like a lazy bum, but I'll refer to The World School Challenge as The WSC from now on. It should save me some time *sweatdrop* Oh, yeah, I've never been to Six Flags, so I'm making up all of the ride names, okay?  
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Garu Sayoe  
  
"Wow! You mean we get a perk before The WSC actually starts?!" Jen asked excitedly. She had missed the latest briefings because she had been in the bathroom.   
  
"Yeah, that's right!" Tai said before Izzy could. He liked to be able to explain the situation for once. "We're going to Six Flags in America!"  
  
"That's cool!" Jen said. "They must have roller coasters and everything!"   
  
"You two are so juvenille..." Matt commented.   
  
"Come on, Matt, we know you want to go, too." Sora said. Matt snorted and flicked a stray piece of hair back in place.   
  
Suddenly, Jen noticed that Izzy looked kind of sick. His face was white and he was practically shaking. "Izzy, what's wrong?" Jen asked. "Are you ill?"  
  
"No, no, I-I'm fine, really..." he responded. However, he looked pointedly at Tai, Matt, and Sora and motioned over his shoulder. Getting the message, Jen said:  
  
"Maybe some fresh air would help. Let's go outside." Izzy nodded and they left the others behind in the hotel.   
  
"Well, what's so bad that you can't say it in front of the others?" Jen asked to Izzy after they made sure they were alone. Izzy cleared his throat in a nervous way.   
  
"Umm, you see, I've never been on a roller coaster before,and, to be blunt, I have a rather weak stomach and...I don't want to go." he said quickly. Jen remembered all of the times that Izzy had eaten her Aunt's (Tai's Mom) food and barfed later. But still, it was kind of hard not to. Izzy was usually healthy, but she remembered that whenever he went home sick, it was because of his stomache. But still...  
  
"Izzy, are you afraid of heights?" Jen asked.   
  
"No. I never had problems flying on Kabuterimon."   
  
"Then are you afraid that the coasters will give or get stuck or something?"  
  
"I told you, roller coasters make me sick!"  
  
"How do you know? You've never been on one, remember?"   
  
Izzy sighed. He knew that he had been defeated. Jen sat next to him and said in a comforting tone:  
  
"It's okay. Everyone has fears. That's part of what makes us unique. I know that no one wants to confess their fears, but you didn't have beat around the bush with me."  
  
"I meant to tell you straight off. Don't tell the others, though; it;ll save me from a world of torment." Izzy requested. Jen nodded and started to get up, but Izzy caught her wrist.   
  
"It's nice out here..." he mumbled pointedly, his face red. Jen took the hint, sat down again, and cuddled close to him.   
********  
  
"COME ON GUYS!!! THE PLANE IS BOARDING NOW!!!" Matt shouted when he looked up at the blinking red lights. He led the others in a wild dash to the terminal, where they found the other Odaiba High students getting on the plane. "Wait, wait!"   
  
"I'm so relieved..." Jen said as she floopped next to Izzy in the plane's row of seats. Matt and Sora were in front of her, and Tai and Hiren were behind her. "That was way too close...I owe you one, Matt."  
  
"Yeah, it's a long walk to America." Tai joked.   
  
"A long swim, too." Hiren added as he flipped through a magazine. Everyone nodded in consent. Suddenly, the plane was starting to roll along.   
  
"Oh..." Sora said, clutching Matt's arm for support, "I've never been on a plane before. I'm worried about take-off...". Matt embraced her tightly, as if he could squeeze away her fears.   
  
"Yeah, this whole thing presents a lot of firsts..." Jen commented. She opened her mouth to continue, but Izzy glared at her. "Umm, Sora's first flight...our first trip to America..." Izzy loosened up. "Hey, maybe we'll run into Mimi!"   
  
"The chances are slim. She hasn't told anyone about getting in, did she?" Izzy asked.   
  
"No, but maybe she wants to surprise us." Jen suggested.   
  
"Hold on, I think maybe I've got something in my ear. Did you just say that Mimi might have a piece of gossip that she didn't spread? How long have you known Mimi again?" Matt asked skeptically.   
  
"Just a suggestion." Jen replied briskly. Matt was about to reply when he felt the breath leave his lungs. The combination of the plane rising and Sora practically choking him to death made him unable to speak. A minute or so later, Matt looked at Sora meaningfully and said:  
  
"Okay, it's over, and we're all fine (except for the fact that I can't breathe)." Sora blushed and released Matt, who started gulping as much air as he could.   
  
A few moments later, the plane was filled with loud "HIC! HIC! HIC!" sounds.   
  
"You shouldn't have breathed so heavily." Izzy noted. Matt glared at him and continued hiccouching for what seemed like the rest of the flight.   
********  
  
"Sora, do you have jet-lag?" Jen asked as she lay practically lifeless on a hotel bed.   
  
"Yeah. Let's get some rest so we'll be ready for the rides tomorrow." Sora suggested as she crawled into the other bed.   
********  
  
"I'm excited! I love roller coasters!" Jen said happily when the Odaiba High students were finally standing outside of Six Flags. Izzy stared at the gates as if they led to Hell. "Come on, Izzy. What could happen? You'll be with Tai, Matt, and Sora!" Jen added. After a moment of after-thought, she added, "You'll be with me, too. Right?"   
  
Izzy gave a small sigh but somehow managed to smile. "Right. You'll be with me." Jen felt her face turning pink as she grasped Izzy's hands. They were sweaty.   
  
"Maybe we'll be alone a little bit." Jen said quietly to him. Maybe I'll experiance my high-school-girly-thing soon... she added to herself.   
  
A few minutes later, the students were finally in the park. All of the competing schools were there, and the park had actually been closed to the public for them. "Hey!" Tai said suddenly. "Look at that!". He pointed to a gargantuan coaster. "Let's hurry so we can beat the crowd."  
  
Soon, all of them were strapped in pairs on the coaster. Izzy had his eyes squeazed shut when Jen stole a look at him. He was gripping the handles on the shoulder bar so hard that his knuckles were white. Jen smiled sympathetically and placed her hand on his. "Don't worry." she whispered. "It's just a ride."  
  
However, Jen's concern for Izzy was forgotten when the roller coaster started moving forward. Her feet dangled from her seat, and the wind whipped around her hair. It was almost like she was flying on Kabuterimon's back with Izzy again. She looked at Izzy and realized that he just didn't trust the machine the same way he trusted his Digimon.   
  
"That was a good one!" Sora commented when they all stepped off of the ride. Tai, Matt, and Hiren nodded in agreement, but Izzy looked sick.   
  
"Umm, guys, I need to go to the bathroom." Izzy said. "You can ride it again, and I'll catch up to you."   
  
"Yeah, I need to go, too. We'll meet you here." Jen added.   
  
"You two should have gone at the hotel." Tai said. Jen and Izzy ignored him and started towards the bathrooms.   
  
"Izzy, are you going to loose your breakfast?" Jen asked worridly when they were out of earshot.   
  
"Yeah, I think so..." Izzy croaked. Jen looked at him in surprise; he hadn't sounded that way since he drank about three of Mrs.Yagami's beef jerky shakes and got sick. That was when they fought Diaboromon on the internet, which was about two years ago. Luckily, the bathrooms were very close by. Izzy ran ahead of her and into the men's room.   
  
"Gese, how gross. If you can't keep down your food, I don't think you should come to an amusement park." a guy said to his friend as he walked out of the bathroom. Poor Izzy...Jen thought.   
Once again, her worries about Izzy were pushed aside when she felt a hand on her shoulder.   
  
"Jen, is it you?" a soft, low, masculine voice asked. Jen spun around to see a very handsome boy looking down at her. He had blonde dreadlocks, a scar on his cheek, sparkling blue eyes, a very built body, and he was very tall. Jen gasped when it clicked in her mind.   
  
"Garu?!" she asked in amazement. The teenage boy smiled and nodded. "Really? Wow! It's been eight years! This is great!" she added as she threw her arms around him. Garu blushed heavily.   
  
"I haven't seen you since you moved to France! Why didn't you reply to my letters?" Jen asked. Garu looked at her sadly.   
  
"I moved. We both moved." he said. "I called Heighten View Terrace, but they said you had moved and they didn't know where you were. And you didn't know that I had moved into Paris."  
  
"Oh, that explains it..." Jen said quietly. Suddenly, she felt Garu's lips brush against her left cheek, and then her right. She didn't notice that the door to the men's room had opened.   
  
"Please, Garu! I know that it's a French greeting, but you're embarassing me!" Izzy heard Jen cry. That made him feel a little better, but he was still shocked to see someone kissing the only girl that Izzy had ever had such signifigant feelings for. Expecially someone as good-looking and strong as the boy was. Finally, the teenage boy released Jen.   
  
"Jen?" Izzy asked. Jen jumped and turned around. She knew instantly that he was upset, and it wasn't stomache problems.   
  
"Izzy!" Jen said, stammering for a moment. "This-this is Garu Sayoe, and old friend of mine. He moved to France eight years ago. Garu, this is Izzy Izumi. We're...we're...really close. I guess you're in The WSC?" she asked of Garu.  
  
"Yeah. I'm on the academic board for my school." he said. Izzy felt a fresh sting of dislike.   
  
"So am I." he said.   
  
"That's a coincidence." Garu said.   
  
"Yeah! It is. Garu, we have a lot to catch up on! Tell me what it's like in France." Jen said eagerly. Izzy frowned deeply. He knew that Jen was friendly, but he felt that a jerk like Garu didn't deserve her attention. Garu, however, laughed.   
  
"Sure, I'll tell you everything. But do you think that in front of a bathroom is the best place to chat?" he asked. Jen laughed and started to walk towards a picnic table.   
  
"Jen, we promised to meet the others back at the roller coaster, remember?" Izzy asked as he gently gripped her arm.   
  
"Oh, right...I'll tell them that they can go ahead. I'll catch up to you guys at noon in the food area." she said. Izzy didn't want to leave them alone, but this was his chance to do something for Jen.   
  
"It's okay. I'll tell them and come back. I'm sick of roller coasters anyway." Izzy volunteered.   
  
"Really? Thanks, Izzy." Jen said brightly. Izzy smiled at her and fought an inner battle for a moment. Should I kiss her cheek too? Would she get mad if I did that? But before he could make up his mind, Jen gave him a quick peck on the cheek and sat down at the picnic table.   
  
Did she do that to warn Garu off? Izzy wondered as he walked towards his friends. I hope that jerk isn't going to try anything while I'm gone. Does Jen have any feelings for him? Why didn't she ever mention him to me? Izzy felt his hand wander to where Jen had kissed him. Honestly, a kiss on the cheek is supposed to mean nothing. I shouldn't be worried. But still, I won't let that jerk out of my sight if I can help it!  
  
Oh no...is Izzy upset with me? I hope he knows that I didn't want Garu to do that. But why did I feel so...so...almost faint when Garu kissed me? It was almost as strong as the time Izzy held me after his match...Come on, Jen, get a hold on yourself. A kiss on the cheek is nothing more than friendship, which is all I feel for Garu, Jen thought as she sat with Garu. However, as Garu told her about Paris, Jen found herself gazing into his baby blue eyes instead of listening.   
  
What is her relationship with that carrot-topped shrimp? She said they were very close. So are they a couple or good friends? She kissed him on the cheek, yet she scolded me when I did the same to her. I don't believe she's grown so beautiful...I admired her even when I was eight and way too young...And I missed her so much all these years...I never forgot how she looked, and that goofy smile she had is still there...Garu thought as he tried desperately to keep talking about France and not spilling his guts about his feelings and thoughts. Too soon, it seemed, Izzy was walking towards them. He sat down next to Jen and wrapped and arm around her waist, pulling her close. He was surprised and hurt when Jen didn't lean into him like she usually did. Without her precious weight added to his, Izzy felt like nothing. To make matters worse, she was staring intently at Garu as if he was all she could see.   
  
Garu paused for a moment, and the spell he had seemingly cast upon Jen was broken. She blinked at Izzy as if she hadn't even noticed him. A very guilty look flashed across her face, and Izzy caught it distinctively. The very top of her cheeks turned bright red, just like they always did when Jen was caught not paying attention in class. She looked down at her shoes.   
  
"Umm, it's ten of..." Izzy said a few tense moments later. Jen's head shot up.   
  
"Really?" she asked, glancing at Izzy's wrist. Izzy held up his hand so Jen could see his watch, and Jen took the opportunity to make ammends and gently grasped him hand. "Yes, you're right." she said, purposely stalling so she could feel the warmth of Izzy's skin longer.   
  
"Garu, what's your hotel number? I don't think we're aloud to wander from room to room, but I'll call you later so we can talk." Jen said. Garu shook his head.   
  
"It's 4-18, but it's okay. Do you think maybe I can spend the day with you guys?" he asked. Izzy frowned darkly, but Jen missed it. Garu didn't.  
  
"Sure! I'm sure the others won't mind. You remember Tai, right? Hold on, though, where are your friends? Shouldn't you tell them?" Jen asked. Garu cleared his throat nervously, just like Izzy had.   
  
"Well, I'm still afraid of heights, and I didn't want to slow my friends down, so I'm fending for myself today..." he said, hoping that Jen wouldn't laugh. He was releaved when he heard no change in her voice.  
  
"Okay! Let's meet the others!" Jen said to both Izzy and Garu.   
******************************************************************************  
Jenashu: Wow! What's going to happen between Izzy, Garu, and Jen? Will Garu destroy the beautiful relationship between Jen and Izzy? Or will Izzy and Garu kill each other first? And if Izzy and Garu compete against each other in The WSC, who's side will Jen be on? And how will the rest of the Six Flags trip turn out? Odaiba High is reaching it's ultimate climax (well, maybe not)!!!!!! 


	7. The Rivals

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, so have a nice day, and don't sue me^-^  
  
Jenashu: Yes, hello everyone! How is everyone doing? Well, here's chapter seven of Odaiba High. Izzy and Garu become rivals, fighting fiercely to earn Jen's affections. Needless to say, this rather disturbs the girl, who wants to focus on the WSC, not a petty rivalry...  
**********************************************************************************  
The Rivals  
  
"Hey everyone," Jen said when she caught up with her friends in the food court. "look who I met!" She motioned towards Garu, who stood close to her side.   
  
"Don't I know you?" Tai asked. Garu nodded slowly.  
  
"Yeah. Garu Sayoe," he said simply. Tai gawked at him.  
  
"Man, you're that little kid that Jen used to play with all the time?! What kind of vitamins have you been taking?!" he asked in disbelief. Garu's thin lips twisted into a smile.   
  
"It's been a while. Too long for my tastes." Garu replied, gazing at Jen as he spoke. Matt blinked. He was the only one who was piecing things together.   
  
Jen smiled cheerfully. "Is it okay if Garu hangs out with us?" she asked. The others said things like, "I don't mind," and "sure". "Okay, great!" Jen chirped. When the others weren't paying attention, Matt grabbed Izzy's arm.   
  
"It's not okay with you, huh Izzy?" he asked, lowering his voice so he wouldn't be overheard.   
  
"Definately not. He's got the hots for her." Izzy said with a sigh. "And I can't be sure how she feels about him..." Matt screwed up his face in thought, and finally shrugged.   
  
"She's probably just excited to see him again." he consoled. Izzy shook his head slowly, showing how unsure he was. "You're really worried about it, huh? Well, just don't leave them alone, I guess. Better yet, try not to leave her alone at all. At least you'll know that way. I know how much you hate not knowing something, Izzy."  
  
"You think she'll be mad if I smother her like that?" Izzy asked. Matt shrugged in a way that said, "you're her boyfriend, you know more about her; so you tell me".  
  
Suddenly Tai's stomach rumbled loudly. "Can we eat now?" he asked, motioning to the resteraunts. "Pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers, fries...classic Americanized junk food. Take your pick."  
  
"Like you ever worry about health." Matt pointed out. Tai shrugged and went to stand in line. "He's probably just glad that he doesn't have to deal with his Mom's cooking." Matt added in exasperation.   
  
"I have to question the wisdom of putting anything into my stomach." Izzy said quietly to Jen, who nodded in consent.   
  
"Actually, I'm really not hungry" Garu said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and staring at the roller coaster that loomed over the food court.   
  
"Fine, you two can starve," Jen teased, "but I'm eating." Her face lit up when she realized that they had ice cream, too. Izzy frowned at her.   
  
"That girl and her obsession with chocolate..." he mumbled under his breath with a small smile. "How many times have I...oh well..."   
  
"What are you mumbling about?" Garu asked, putting an extreme amount of effort into hiding the bitterness in his voice. Izzy looked up at him in surprise.   
  
"It doesn't concern you." he said bluntly, staring fiercely into Garu's eyes and trying not to flinch under the cold look from someone so much bigger than him.   
  
"If what you said was about Jen, then it is my buisness." Garu replied coldly, this time not bothering to hide his dislike.   
  
"Your only claim on her is friendship!" Izzy exclaimed, sounding scandalized at Garu's remark. Garu gave the small redhead a very serious look.   
  
"Then what is your claim on her?" he asked, his low voice turning dangerous. Izzy swallowed hard.   
  
"Just watch her, and you'll see." he said after a pause. Suddenly, Jen was walking towards them with a very delighted look on her face. She sat flopped down on a stone, bench-like seat and placed her hamburger, fries, and three drinks on the table in front of her. Jen looked at two boys and motioned for them to sit with her. Izzy sat on the stone bench before Garu could.   
  
Jen pushed a drink towards each boy. "You guys should at least drink something," she said matter-of-factly. Garu stared at her as she started licking an ice cream cone.   
  
"Shouldn't you eat your food first...?" he asked. Jen smiled at him.   
  
"I'm still a little weird, Garu," she said happily as she snacked.   
  
Garu looked at her in disbelief. "You're not weird," he said softly as he reached out to put his hand on Jen's free one. She immediately pulled her hand away and gave Garu a questionate look.   
  
"What...?" Jen whispered so softly that only Izzy, who sat close beside her, could hear.   
********  
  
"Hey, there they are." Tai said as he carried a tray of food. He tilted his head towards where Jen, Garu, and Izzy were sitting.   
  
"No," Matt said abruptly. "We should sit away from them."   
  
Sora gave him a confused look. "Why?" she asked.  
  
"There's an important reason. I'll tell you guys, but we should sit away from them..."  
********   
  
There was a very awkward silence hovering around the table. Then Izzy noticed the melted ice cream streaking slowly down Jen's peach skin, dying it brown. "Jen, here," he said, handing the stunned girl a napkin.   
  
"Huh?" Jen asked, blinking at him. Izzy whiped her sticky fingers gently, and Jen put her ice cream cone in her other hand. "Oh. Thanks, Izzy..." she said, allowing Izzy to continue. When Jen wasn't paying attention, Izzy shot Garu a look that said quite clearly, "I told you that you'd see". Garu glared at him darkly in reply.   
  
"Are you sure you're not going to eat anything? I'll share." Jen said, though Izzy couldn't tell if she was talking to just him or both boys.   
  
"I'm not going to risk it." Izzy mumbled under his breath. Jen wasn't giving up yet.  
  
"Come on, you need to eat something. It's not healthy to skip meals." Jen presisted as she offered Izzy some fries. "You too, Garu."  
  
"I'm fine." he said, staring at the table as if he was in deep thought. Jen frowned and looked at Izzy again. He sighed and took a few fries.   
  
"Happy?" he asked after he ate them. Jen smiled and held out her ice cream.   
  
"Why don't you like chocolate?" she asked curiously. Izzy stared at her for a moment before shrugging. "Have you even tried chocolate ice cream, Izzy?"  
  
"No, actually. There's always just been vanilla at my house, and it never occured to me to request a different flavor." Izzy said, shrugging. Jen gawked at him.   
  
"It's really good! Try some." Jen said to him. Izzy blushed and took a bite from her ice cream cone. "Isn't it good?"  
  
"Yeah." Izzy replied slowly as Jen finished her snack. Then she started to devour her hamburger. Jen tried to keep a conversation going, but the two boys, for some reason that Jen couldn't understand, didn't seem to want to talk to each other.   
**********  
  
"Come on, Izzy! This thing is totally tame; look, it's a wooden one." Hiren complained when Izzy decided to sit out on another roller coaster ride. "Your feet won't even dangle. Come on!" Izzy sighed and nodded.   
  
"Great!" Jen said happily. "Are you coming too, Garu?"   
  
"Umm...well...yeah, sure." Garu replied. However, Jen thought as she sat between the two boys a while later in the roller coaster, perhaps I shouldn't have encouraged him. Both Izzy and Garu looked deathly pale, and ready to barf all over her. That was something Jen could skip out on.   
***********  
  
By some miracle, everyone got back to the hotel without any more trips to the bathroom (if you get my drift). Jen still didn't understand much of what was going on between Izzy, Garu, and herself, mainly because she never thought Garu would show an interest in her. Couldn't he see the feelings she had for Izzy pouring out of her eyes? Jen thought it would take a blind man to overlook that.   
  
"Hey," Jen said sleepily to Sora, "the academic boards will be the first to compete again, right?"   
  
"Yeah," and equally exhausted voice responded. "Didn't you say that Garu's on the board for his school?"  
  
"He is," Jen mumbled as she drifted closer to sleep.   
  
"Who will you root for if they're pitted up against each other?" Sora asked. She waited a moment, but no reply was given. Guess she's asleep, Sora thought. But Sora was wrong; suddenly, Jen was wide awake and considering Sora's disturbing scenario.   
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Jenashu: Well, who's side do you think Jen will be on? Point me, oh faithful readers! If you've read some of my earlier fics, you'll know that I like to let my reviewers direct the stories sometimes. So, who will Jen end up with, Izzy or Garu? And who will she be rooting for? Why don't you tell me? Don't you just love auidiance participation? 


	8. Matt's Jealousy Lesson

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.   
  
Jenashu: Oi everybody!! I know, I know, it's been FOREVER since I posted my chapter, but here it is!! So everybody enjoy! Now the WSC really starts! Today's event is: the Academic Challenge!  
*****************************************************************************  
Matt's Jealousy Lesson  
  
Bzzz! "Queen Elizabeth!"   
  
Bzz! "1826!"  
  
Jen smiled happily. Once again, Izzy was racking up points in the Academic Challenge. However, she admitted, the buzzer sound was starting to drive her mad. She was getting bored, as this contest wasn't the most exciting one. Finally! she thought when the last question was answered.   
  
"Odaiba High wins round one!" a judge shouted. The Odaiba High students stood up and cheered wildly.   
********  
  
"Izzy, once again, you were the best!" Jen told him as he walked up to her in a hallway. Izzy smiled at her and reached his hand out. But before Jen could grasp it, the next two teams were called on an intercom. "Hey, Izzy! Garu's up now! Let's go watch!"  
  
"Yeah, sure," Izzy replied, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice. I hope he loses, Izzy thought angrily. The less reasons there were for Jen to praise Garu, the better.  
  
Bzz! "Pholem!"  
  
Bzz! "The pallisade layer!"   
  
"Wow," Jen said in amazement, "Garu's kicking butt up there!". Izzy nodded and sank bitterly in his seat. He grew even angrier when Garu's school was announced the winner. Well, actually, that's not so bad...Izzy consoled himself. At least I'll be able to cream him if he makes it to the finals...  
  
However, Izzy grew more and more nervous as both his team and Garu's advanced level after level. Now the whole thing was personal; if Izzy goofed and Garu won, well... Izzy didn't even want to think about that. And, as Izzy had mentioned earlier, stage performances weren't exactly his thing; Garu, of course, seemed perfectly fine with sitting before thousands of people.   
  
(A/N: Okay, everyone! Got your scorecards??? Than let the games begin!!)  
  
"Yes!!!," Jen cried happily when Odaiba High won another round. Garu's school advanced after him, and, to Jen's horror, Garu and Izzy sat across from each other on the stage.   
  
"The final round will begin after a 20 minute intermission. We request that our two competing boards be back five minutes early," the head judge announced.   
  
What should I say to them? Jen wondered as she sat frozen in her seat. I know! Good luck Garu...um...Make sure you beat them, Izzy? That sounds terribly mean! Okay, okay...Since Izzy's in my school and all, I want him to win, you understand that, right Garu? Oh, very nice...Let's see... Maybe I'll just say good luck to both of them and tell Izzy to win in private? Well, that's better than everything else so far...  
  
Jen's musings were interupted by a familiar voice. "Jen, are you daydreaming? Come on, everyone's going to get sodas and stuff," Matt said as he shook her shoulder. Jen gasped and looked up at him.   
  
"Sorry, I was thinking," Jen said as she stood up. Matt gave her a very serious look.   
  
"Jen, I have to talk to you," he declaired. Jen nodded slowly as she realized that whatever Matt wanted to talk about was important. She hadn't seen the serious look he gave her for quite a while.   
  
"Allow me to be blunt," Matt said when the auiditorium was completely empty. "Whatever happened with you and Garu, it's making Izzy jealous. I don't think you meant for that to happen, but just be careful how you treat the two of them until this is over."   
  
Jen gawked at him for a moment before she could speak. "Jealous? But...nothing that would make Izzy jealous happ-oh...wait..." she trailed off. The image of Garu kissing her cheeks flashed vividly across her mind. Then she remembered how she had stared into Garu's eyes and hadn't even realized that Izzy was with her. Matt looked at her and realized that his words had had the appropriate effect. He stood up to leave, but turned around for a moment when Jen spoke.   
  
"But...I love Izzy..." she told him. Matt looked at Jen's pained face and wondered if he had brought too much guilt upon the girl.   
  
"Hey, don't sweat it. He loves you too. The problem is that Garu does as well. Do what's right, Jen," Matt said, turning around again to leave.   
  
"Thanks, Matt..."  
*****************  
  
"Jen, over here," Izzy called when he saw her. Jen's face brightened immediately. She sat beside him in a booth and cuddled against him. Izzy blushed heavily but was quite pleased.   
  
"Food's actually pretty good here," Tai said as he slid into the cushy seats across for Jen and Izzy. The redhead gave him a strange look.   
  
"Tai...you do know this is an intermission, not a lunch break. I don't think you can eat all of that in the 15 minutes that you have left," Izzy pointed out, nodding his head at the tremendous pile of food in front of Tai.   
  
"That means you only have ten minutes left," Jen said with a sigh. "Oh well, I'm up after this, and when that's done the two of us won't have to worry about competing any more." She cuddled Izzy agan affectionately.   
  
"R-right," Izzy said as he slowly placed his arm around Jen's shoulder. Tai rolled his eyes when he was sure that Jen and Izzy were too busy to notice it.   
  
"Good luck," Jen said after a long pause. Then she leaned very close to Izzy; he could feel her warm breath against his ear when she whispered, "I'm rooting for you, Izzy-Chan. You can win!"  
  
"Thanks..." Izzy replied softly. Tai cleared his throat loudly, causing the couple to jump. Izzy stared at him before realizing that maybe a cafeteria full of people wasn't the best place flaunt a relationship. "Umm, I have to go..." Izzy said. Jen sighed and stood up so Izzy could get out of the booth.   
  
"Good luck again! You'll do great," Jen assured him. Izzy smiled and gave her a quick hug before hurrying to the auiditorium. Jen jumped in surprise when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She spun around to see Garu.   
  
"Good luck. Do your best," Jen said cheerfully. Garu smiled at her, mistaking her still-red face as a good sign.   
  
"I don't know. If I do my best, then your friend might not stand a chance," he said confidently. Jen's expression grew angry.   
  
"Izzy's a genius. He'll be more than a challenge for sure," Jen said as she turned away from Garu and flicked some of her long hair over her shoulder in an annoyed gesture. Garu shrugged and walked past her.   
  
"Well, see you later," he said as he turned to face her again. Jen knew what was coming this time, and before Garu could lean close to her face, she smiled and walked away. Garu stared after her with a very puzzled look.  
*******  
  
Jen grabbed her arm rests and frowned. The final round of the Academic Challenge was like a tennis match; Izzy scored, Garu scored, Izzy scored, Garu scored...Jen was getting anxious.   
  
"Well," the head judge said after the final round was over, "this is unusual. We have a tied score! So, we'll have to ask one last question. Write down how many points you'd like to wager on your answer. Here's the question..."   
  
Oh no, I hate dates...Jen thought when she heard the words "what year". Come on, Izzy, come on!!!!  
  
"So, will the French Academic Board please give your answer," the judge said. Garu stood up.   
  
"1956."   
  
"Now, will the Japan Academic Board please give your answer," the judge asked. Izzy stood up as tall as he could.   
  
"1956."   
  
"Oh my, those are both the correct answers! We have the boards that your bets were placed upon, so it all comes down to who bet the most!"  
  
Jen was biting her fingernails at this point. The whole auidiance was completely silent and staring at the head judge.   
  
"The French Academic Board has bet 5,000 points." the judge said as he held up the French board. Then he reached for the Japanease board. "The Japanease Academic Board has bet...5,000 and 1 points! The Japanease Academic Board are the winners!" A deafening cheer sounded from the Odaiba High students as they worked their way to the front of the stage.   
********  
  
Izzy, Jen, and Tai sat squished in one side of a booth while Sora and Matt shared the other. "Okay," Matt said as he paused from eating his dinner, "how did you know to put a one on the end?"   
  
The red head smiled modestly. "Well, one of the...slightly dense members of the French Academic Board repeated their bet quite loudly, and I overheard. I knew my answer was correct, so I made our bet 5,001 points to make the Academic Challenge a bit memorable." he said.  
  
"I knew you would win!" Jen said happily. "And tomorrow's my turn!"  
****************************************************************************  
Jenashu: There you have it! Well, remember what I said about the scorecards?? I was being completely serious. Tell me in a review why you think Izzy or Garu should get a point (or maybe why they should have some deducted). We'll make a game out of this. I can't wait to see the finished scorecard!! 


	9. Make New Enemies

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Also, Adrian (whom I'm "borrowing" again) belongs to Little Indigo. When you're done mine, go read her fics!!! I don't own "Reflection", a song from Disney's movie Mulan, either.   
  
Jenashu: Hello, hello! Today's events are: The War of the Bands, The Female Vocalist Challenge, and The Male Vocalist Challenge. (I couldn't resist calling it The War of the Bands^^)  
****************************************************************************  
Making New Enimies  
  
"Come on Jen, just a little bit?" Tai wheddled, pointing at Jen's breakfast. "You need to eat something," he persisted.   
  
"I don't know if that's a good idea," Jen said as she stared down at the table. Izzy sighed and put his fork down.   
  
"Remember what you told me at the amusement park?" he asked. Jen nodded and sighed.   
  
"I can't. What if I throw up on stage? How gross! I'm not touching it," Jen replied in a very final way. Izzy looked at Tai and gave him a defeated shrug.   
  
"But look at the Teenage Wolves! They're woofing everything down," Tai said. He motioned towards Matt, Mitz, Adrian, Yaten, and Kakeyu, who were stuffing their faces.   
  
"They're used to this kind of thing, Tai. They have concerts all the time," Jen reminded him.   
  
"You're always on stage," Tai countered. Jen shrugged.   
  
"I've never been judged before. If I mess up, I might cause us the win in the long run," Jen said miserably.   
  
"I've never seen you mess up on stage," Izzy broke in. Jen sighed and pushed her plate further away. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She knew exactly who it was without looking up. "Yes, hello," Izzy said in a slightly grumpy tone.   
  
"Hey," Garu replied with equal dislike. Then he looked down at Jen. "Good luck, Jen. If you can still sing like you used to, then this will be no problem for you," he said. The brunette girl looked up at him.   
  
"You think so?" she asked. Garu nodded confidently, causing Jen to grace him with a smile. "Thanks, Garu."   
  
"Yeah, well, I guess I'll see you around," Garu replied before walking away.   
  
"Oh, wait!" Jen called after him. "You did very well yesterday. Good job," she said. Garu smiled and turned around again. When he was out of earshot, Izzy mumbled something bitterly under his breath about dumb blondes and jerks.  
**********  
"I don't like this...I don't like this at all..." Jen whispered nervously to herself while she waited backstage for her turn. Her body moved by itself while her mind was numb when she heard her name. The two feet below her led the stunned girl to the marked spot on the stage. A moment later, the curtain rose. Jen looked out on the auidiance to see thousands and thousands of people (mostly her age, which didn't help) staring intently back at her. She gulped, cleared her throat, and grasped the microphone. Her ice-cold fingers gripped it and pulled it out of the stand. Jen brought the microphone close to her lips and waited for her music to start.   
  
A lightening-quick memory passed through Jen's brain. She saw herself practicing the song over and over as the first notes danced around her. Yes, she knew her song inside and out- she would be fine. Then another source of confidence came to her attention; her friends were waving vigourously, and Tai gave her thumbs up. Even from the stage, Jen could see Izzy mouth "good luck". Jen smiled at them, and felt some of the butterflies dissapear from her stomach.   
  
"Look at me, you may think you see  
who I really am  
but you'd never know me  
Every day   
it's as if I play a part  
Now I see   
if I wear a mask I can fool the world  
but I cannot fool my heart  
  
Who is that girl I see  
staring straight back at me   
when will my reflection show   
who I am inside   
  
I am now   
in a world where I have to hide my heart   
and what I believe in   
but somehow I will show the world  
what's inside my heart   
and be loved for who I am  
  
Who is that girl I see  
staring straight back at me  
why is my reflection someone I don't know  
must I pretend that I'm   
someone else for all time   
when will my reflection show  
who I am inside  
  
There's a heart that must be free to fly  
that burns with a need to know the reasons why  
why must we all conceal   
what we think  
how we feel  
must there be a secret me  
I'm born to hide  
I won't pretend that I'm   
someone else for all time   
when will my reflection show  
who I am inside  
when will my reflection show   
who I am inside"  
  
Jen took another deep breath and opened her eyes. To her amazement, everyone was standing up and applauding. She blinked stupidly at the crowd before sinking into a clumsy curtsy and walking off the stage.  
**********  
  
Oh please oh please oh please let me win...Jenashu thought to herself as she sat in a chair on the stage with the other singers. Slowly the judge announced how many points each preformer had won for their school.   
  
"Miss Jenashu Zircona from Japan has won 4,800 points out of a possible 5,000 points for her school-" the announcement was met by thunderous applause from the Odaiba High students.   
  
"Miss Mimi Tachikawa from America has won 4,500 points..." Jen's head jerked up. Mimi Tachikawa? She looked all over the stage for a splash of pink, and found the girl sitting down a few seats to her left.   
  
"Meems!" Jen hissed. Mimi looked left and right in confusion, wondering who had called her. Finally, she saw Jen. Her face lit up, and she waved vigorously. Suddenly, the judge was silent, and Jen realized that no one had scored higher than her, which had to mean...  
  
"And the winner, who earns an extra 5,000 points for her school, is...Miss Jenashu Zircona!" Jen stumbled to get on her feet as her friends stood up and cheered. She felt her cheeks darken as each eye looked at her; she smoothed her dress down a bit. I did it! she thought happily as her friends beamed at her.   
*********  
  
"That was a brilliant performance!" Izzy said happily to Jen. She smiled and walked into his outstretched arms. Izzy squeezed her tightly. "You were fabulous!"   
  
"You won! You won!" Sora cried happily as she did a mad little jig. "Japan has conquered the first two challenges!"  
  
"Too bad we didn't win the third, though. I swear, Seto can't sing worth a crap," Matt said with a sigh. "He only got 2,500 points." Jen opened her mouth to reply when Mimi came bursting into the cafeteria.   
  
"Jen! Sora!" she cried, trying to hug both of them at once. This was made difficult by the fact that the two girls were in chairs. Mimi's weight caused them all to crash onto the floor in a heap.   
  
"Mimi, Mimi, I'm so glad to see you, but would you please get off of my back?" Jen laughed. Mimi shot up and started hugging everybody. "I told you Matt!" Jen added after a moment of thought.   
  
"Yeah, well...I'm glad to see you, Meems, but I need to go to the auiditorium," Matt said. He motioned to his band, who all abandoned their dinners and followed their leader.   
  
"This doesn't feel right," Kakeyu said suddenly, stopping dead in his tracks.   
  
"What do you mean?" Matt asked.   
  
"He means that we've been here for about three days now and we haven't started any trouble yet," Yaten said. Kakeyu nodded and rushed back to his food tray. He picked up a handful of peas and threw them as hard as he could at the nearest person.   
  
"Who did that?" a teenage boy demanded. When no one answered, he chucked a corn-on-the-cob at the nearest person he didn't know. Soon, food was soaring everywhere.   
  
"Satisfied?" Mitz asked with a sigh. As a giant blob of jello hit Mitz in the face, Yaten and Kakeyu nodded and smiled.   
  
"Yes," the said simply. "Very."  
**********   
"I turn around, I can't see what's behind me," Matt sang. Jen smiled and sunk back into her seat. She was so glad that she didn't have to worry about competing anymore. Jen knew what it would be like if she had had to wait until the last day to perform; she imagined a cartoon character looking up to see an anvil over his head, just floating there, about to fall at any time. That was how it would feel.  
  
Jen looked at the stage. Mitz's normaly shy demanor dissapeared as he pounded the drums with perfect timing. Yaten's fingers raced across the keyboard at light speed, but he never missed a note. Adrian's electric guitar and Kakeyu's bass guitar complemented each other. Matt's guitar (why do they have three guitarists?, Jen wondered) hung unused by the strap around his chest as he sang. They're so good, Jen thought with a big smile.  
***********  
"...and The Teenage Wolves (what will they call themselves when they're not teenagers anymore? Jen asked herself), from Japan, scored 5,000 points. Consequently, they are the winners, scoring a total of 10,000 points!" the judge announced. "Congratulations, boys! Everything was perfect; you worked like a well-oiled machine."   
  
"Yay Matt!" Jen shouted from the top of her lungs as she jumped up from her seat. Part of Jen was wildly euphoric, while the other half was glad that Jun Motimiya wasn't there, for fear of the scene that she would surely have started.   
***********  
  
Jen sat with the Digidestineds and the band in a common room. "You guys were so good!" Jen cried happily. The door opened, and a blonde boy walked in and sat next to Mimi. "Oh, hi Micheal!"   
  
"Hello," Micheal said cheerfully. "You did great today. You too, guys," he said, tilting his head towards The Teenage Wolves. "You'll never guess who I saw in the Digiwo-". Mimi elbowed him sharply in the ribs and looked at Matt's band.   
  
"That's okay, go on," Kakeyu said. "Matt's told us all about the Digiworld."  
  
"I did?" Matt asked in confusion.   
  
"Of course! You don't remember because you were drunk out of you skull," Yaten said matter-of-factly.   
  
"Ah," Matt replied with a shrug. "I hope I asked you not to tell anyone about it."   
  
"We figured that much." Adrian said with his usual grumpy attitude.   
  
"That didn't...freak you out at all?" Jen asked in amazement. Mitz laughed.   
  
"Not as much as when he started singing The Itsy Bitsy Spider," he said. Matt glared at him.  
  
"I'm never going to get drunk around you again," he said to his band. Kakeyu looked mortified.   
  
"But you're so fun when you're drunk!" he exclaimed.   
  
"Something tells me that I don't want to ask questions," Micheal said as he looked at the band with a rather disturbed expression.   
  
"Good idea, mate," Yaten said as he took a swig out of a strange bottle. Jen looked at the drink with a wary expression as she wondered what it was.   
  
"Anyway," Jen said, " who did you see, Micheal?" He gave her a puzzled look, as if he had forgotten what they had been talking about.  
  
"Oh, it was a Digimon called Piximon. He asked me to tell you to come visit him some time," Micheal replied. Jen smiled as she remembered her 'tutor'.  
  
Jen looked at Izzy and noticed that his expression had changed. He looked wary and a bit angry, and he was staring at something behind her. Jen turned around and saw Garu walking toward the group. "Hey," he said as he kneeled beside her, "you were great today."   
  
"Thanks!" Jen said. She was about to continue when she heard someone shout Garu's name.   
  
"Get over here!" a boy from Garu's school called. Jen frowned.  
  
"What's wrong with them?" Tai asked, motioning to Garu's angry classmates. Garu frowned.   
  
"Well, umm, actually...Some of the other schools...they think that there's something inside going on here," Garu said, fidgeting uncomfortably. Jen gave him a blank look, but Izzy's face grew darker.   
  
"They think that we've bribed the judges because we've won three out of the four competitions so far," he clairified. Garu nodded.  
  
"I keep telling them that it's not true, but they won't listen. They don't want me socializing with you guys," Garu said. Izzy stared angrily into his eyes before standing up and walking towards Garu's classmates.   
  
"Izzy, don't!" Jen cried. All of the boys had a full head and shoulders over him.   
  
"Better back that bastard up," Yaten said with a sigh. He rose shakily to his feet and stumbled as he ran to catch up to Izzy.   
  
"Yaten, wait! Hey, don't call Izzy that! Stop! Come back, both of you!" Jen pleaded.   
  
"They think that we have to bribe the judges to win?" Kakeyu asked angrilly. "Come on, guys. This is personal now."  
  
"Please, all of you, come back!" Sora shouted as all of The Teenage Wolves walked behind Izzy. "You'll start a fight! Yamato Ishida, listen to me!"   
  
"She's right, pretty boy," one of the French boys said to Matt in very poor English. "Go back to your girlfriend if you know what's good for you."  
  
"This is bad," Micheal said. "I think that one guy is drunk to top it all off," he added, motioning towards Yaten.   
  
"I could step on you!" one of the boys realized as he looked at Izzy. "I don't think you should get involved in this, little boy!"   
  
Things were looking pretty ugly, and it looked like The Teenage Wolves would start a brawl at any second. Jen jumped to her feet and stepped in the middle of the two groups. "All of you, stop! Honestly, this whole thing is to improve national relationships! I'll tell everyone that's listening that we who represent Japan have not cheated in any way to win The World School Challenge. We're here to compete fairly, just like everyone else here. We'll be mature enough to put this whole thing aside if you'll be mature enough to forget the false rumor that has been started. We don't want any enemies," Jen said as she held a hand out to one of the French boys.   
  
"...Alright, but it's just for now, you understand? At the first sign that something fishy's going on, all of you are toast," he said. Jen nodded.   
  
"Fair enough," she said as she shook hands with the boy. "Good luck to all of you!" The French boys snorted and walked out of the room. Jen sighed.   
  
"Hey, that was good," Garu said. "I doubt that they really would attack you guys or anything, though. Well, I'd better be going. See you tomorrow, Jen." Garu put a hand on Jen's shoulder and squeezed gently before walking out of the room.   
  
"You idiot, I wanted to beat the tar out of them," Yaten said when Garu exited the room. Jen sighed.   
  
"I don't believe that just happened. It looks like we've got some enemies..."  
****************************************************************************  
Jenashu: Oh no, the Japanease have a big problem!!!! We'll see if Yaten really does get to beat the tar out of them soon! 


	10. Tai's Big Find

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or Adrian, who belongs to Little Indigo. I also don't own Tera, who belongs to Tiger Lily (a very nice reviewer, and a Jenshiro fan!!!!!^^) Haffa nice day, and don't sue me, pleaz!!!!  
  
Jenashu: Yes, hello!!!! Last chapter, the Odaiba High students made a shocking discovery; they had been accused of cheating by their peers!!! Also, the war between Izzy and Garu still rages on, but now Jen has some idea of what's going on, and she is trying to tell Garu that she will always love him...as a friend, of course. Although she finds that something is holding her back. Plus, Jen and Izzy have been together for almost three months now, and guess what? They haven't kissed yet?! Kind of a slow-moving relationship, isn't it??? And, we met the members of Matt's band: Kakeyu, the trouble-maker, Yaten, the drunk, Mitz, the shy, and Adrian, the...uh...borrowed!!!Today's Events: The Soccer Challenge!!!!!   
******************************************************************************  
Tai's Big Find  
  
Voices. Vaugely familiar, yet too far off to be recongnized. Although she didn't know exactly who the voices belonged to, she knew what they were trying to say; get your butt out of bed, NOW!!!  
  
"I don't want to go to school today..." Jen mumbled as she rolled over in her bed, only half-awake.   
  
"I don't care! Besides, we're not going to school; we're going to breakfast!" one of the voices said harsely. That worked. Jen sat up immediately and stared at Lulu.   
  
"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!" Jen asked groggily as she hopped out of bed.   
  
"We did; two times, in fact. You said you were getting up," Sora said with a sigh. Jen blinked at her.  
  
"And you believed me?" she asked. Sora rolled her eyes and sighed again.   
  
"I'm starved; hurry up already," Lulu demanded. Jen thanked herself for taking a shower the night before as she reached for some clean clothes.   
*************  
  
"Finally!" Matt said when Sora and Jen jogged towards his table. Jen sank into the seat next to Izzy and blushed.   
  
"Umm, actually...It was my fault that we were late," she admitted. Izzy smiled and put an arm around her waist.   
  
"Maybe you should have brought an alarm clock," he teased. Jen gawked at him.  
  
"How did you know that I slept in?!" she asked. Izzy just smiled at her again. "Well, anyway...Tai, today's your day to shine, oh my cousin!"   
  
"Yeah, and we can't be accused of cheating for this. It's all physical," Matt said. Tai frowned at him.  
  
"No, it's 90% mental and 10% physical," he corrected. Izzy sighed.   
  
"That's baseball..." he pointed out.   
  
"Yeah, if it were that way, Izzy would be good at it, not you," Matt said. Tai shrugged and walked up to the table for a third serving. "He sure eats a lot."  
  
"He's filling up because it's so much better than what he gets at home. Trust me, my Aunt can't cook," Jen said, shaking her head. "You should try her fungus surprise."  
  
"What's the surprise?" Izzy asked, sounding disgusted. Jen looked at him.   
  
"Trust me, you don't want to know!"   
***********  
  
"Oh! It's actually kind of chilly out here," Jen said as a cool breeze blew around her. "Tai, you're not in the first game, right?"   
  
"No, I'm not," Tai said. Jen smiled.   
  
"Great. Then I can go get a sweater," she said.   
  
"I'll come with you," Izzy said, remembering what Matt said about staying with Jen as much as he could. Jen smiled and started walking towards the hotel.   
  
"Hurry up, you two," Sora called.   
************  
  
"Okay, here we are..." Jen said as she opened the door to her room. She walked towards her bag and pulled out a white sweater and a grey one. Jen held them up for Izzy to see. "Which one do you think would look better?" Izzy looked at her blankly. "Oh, I guess I shouldn't ask a guy, huh?" Jen asked, laughing a little. Izzy shook his head.   
  
"No, that's not it...It's just that...It doesn't matter to me which one you wear because you always look beautiful to me," he said after a slight pause. Jen blushed and slowly put the sweaters down on her bag.   
  
"Really?" she asked. Izzy nodded. "T-thank you..."   
  
"I..." Izzy started. Suddenly his eyes locked with Jen's, and he forgot what he was going to say. He couldn't look away, and his feet moved by themselves until he stood right in front of her.  
  
This...is just like a romance Manga...Jen thought to herself as she closed her eyes and leaned close to Izzy. Even though she couldn't see, Jen knew that her lips were mere centimeters from Izzy's; she could feel his warm breath on her face.   
  
The two teens jumped when the door to Jen's hotel room opened. I can't win!!! Izzy thought as he jumped back in surprise. As fate would have it, Garu stood in the doorway with a look of shock etched across his handsome face.   
  
"Garu, I-I would trouble you...to knock first," Jen said after a very long, awkward pause. Garu looked as if he still hadn't recovered from his shock.   
  
"I...I'm sorry if I interrupted anything," he said, glaring at Izzy with a deeper loathsome look in his eyes than ever. "Jen, I just wanted to know if you...oh, never mind...see you." Jen and Izzy could hear his retreating footsteps as he walked down the hall.  
  
"He just can't comprehend the situation, can he?" Izzy asked after another pause. Jen sighed.   
  
"I think he knew exactly what was about to happen," she said.   
  
"No, I mean...He can't take a hint," Izzy clairified. Jen gave him a confused look. "He's much too persistant. I don't see why he can't understand that we...I...you..."  
  
"That he's my friend and nothing more," Jen offered. Izzy nodded. "Well, I can imagine how he feels, I suppose. If you had a crush on someone else in the beginning, then I wouldn't want to give up on you, because...you can't erase a feeling from your heart in an instant. That goes double when it comes to love...I wish Garu hadn't developed feelings for me...I feel...like I'm hurting him...and I don't want to do that. He looked so upset...I couldn't help seeing the big, sad eyes that he gave me whenever I had to go home after spending the day over his house to play eight years ago..."After yet another pause, Izzy cleared his throat.   
  
"We should go back," he said. Jen nodded and put her hand on the doorknob.   
  
"You know Izzy," she said suddenly, "that was really just like a comic book. Kind of funny, isn't it?" Izzy gave her a look and sighed.   
***********  
  
"We're back," Izzy called as he and Jen ran towards Matt, Tai, and Sora. Matt gave them a look.   
  
"About time," he said. Jen shrugged and buttoned up her sweater.   
  
"At least I'm warm now. Anyway, what have we missed?"   
  
"Well, only part of the first game. Currently, Germany is in the lead. After them, it's Japan and Korea," Sora said. Tai looked slightly pale.   
  
"You'll do great, Tai," Jen assured him. Tai sighed and started bouncing a soccer ball from knee to knee.  
***********  
  
"GO TAI! GO!!!" Jen shouted as Tai raced down the soccer field. Finally, when in posistion, he kicked the ball right past the goalie. "YES!!!"   
  
"You rule, Tai!" Jen chirped from the sidelines as he ran past her. He turned around and smiled at her. All of the players lined up in the center of the field.   
  
What happened next passed so quickly that the spectaters could hardly catch it. One moment the ball was being passed from the center of the field to a Korein player, and the next moment someone had rammed into Tai. Jen saw his ankle twist sharply as he hit the ground.   
  
"Tai! Tai! Somebody call a time-out!" Jen cried as she watched her cousin slowly sit up. A loud whistle sounded through the air, and all of the players sat down. Jen ran onto the feild as soon as she heard the referee's shrill whistle. "Are you okay?" she asked him as she kneeled by his side.   
  
"I...I think my ankle's sprained," he responded, clutching his injury.   
  
"Move your hand," Jen said. Tai reluctantly released his ankle, and Jen saw that it already had swelled signifigantly. "I've been here before, Tai. Remember in second grade? I sprained my ankle during gym glass. You have to take your shoe and sock off; your ankle is swelling."  
  
"You don't think it's broken?" Tai asked.   
  
"No, it's not."  
  
"Then I'll be able to play again?"   
  
"Not for a week or so."  
  
"Oh, no...the Soccer Challenge will be over by then!" Tai said miserably.   
  
"I'm sorry, Tai..." Jen responded gently. Their conversation ended there; a nurse came onto the feild and helped Tai limp to the first-aid building.  
************  
  
When Tai was settled in a white bed and the nurse had finally stopped fussing over him, he noticed that someone else was in the room with him. She had long, brown hair and bright green eyes, and she was clutching her head as if she had a migraine.   
  
"Hello," Tai said to her. She looked up at him.   
  
"Hey," she responded weakly. Tai looked concerned.   
  
"What's wrong?" he asked. The girl smiled nervously.   
  
"Well...I...um...collasped," she said.   
  
"Really? Why?"   
  
"Well...my friends locked me in the janitor's closet."   
  
"Did a bucket fall on your head and knock you out or something?"   
  
The girl laughed; again, Tai noticed some nervousness. "No, not exactly."  
  
"Then why...?"   
  
"...My name's Tera. Who are you?" the girl said, ignoring Tai's question.   
  
"I'm Tai. Taichi Yagami."   
  
"Hmm...What happened to you?"   
  
"I sprained my ankle playing soccer."  
  
"Ouch. Bummer, huh?"   
  
"Yeah, definately. This was only my first game in the Soccer Challenge, too..."   
  
"Ouch. I've never played soccer before. Is it fun?"   
  
"What?! Never?! Tera, as soon as we're both feeling better, I'm going to teach you how to play," Tai declaired. Why am I being so friendly with her? Tai wondered. Maybe it's because the hair makes her look like Jen...only...shorter (and with green eyes).  
  
"Really?...Thank you, Tai. So, where should we meet?" Tera asked. Tai found himself blushing.   
  
"Umm, anywhere is fine with me," he said. Tera smiled at him, and Tai felt his face turning an even darker shade of red.   
**********  
  
The loss of their MVP (A/N: That's most valuable player, for all you people who are not well versed in sport terms [as if I am *sweatdrop*]) left Tai's team befuddled. The humongous hole in their offense meant that they couldn't score another goal. To make matters worse, the Korein team had scored three goals.   
  
"That was the most painful game I have ever had to watch," Matt said as he rubbed his temples, trying to push away his headache.   
  
"Tell me about it...we got totally creamed," Jen said with a sigh. "I don't want to have to tell Tai about this, but," she started as she stood up, "who's coming with me?"   
**********  
  
When the Digidestineds walked into Tai's room, they were surprised to see him talking to a girl as if she had been a life-long friend of his. A sly smile slowly formed across Matt's face as he read Tai's expression; he recongnized the symptoms.   
  
"Hey Tai, who's this cutie?" Matt asked, nodding in Tera's direction.   
  
"Don't worry, he's always like that," Jen whispered to Tera (who looked quite bewildered).   
  
"Her name is Tera," Tai said, trying to sound as natural as possible.   
  
"Are you alright?" Sora asked of Tera. She smiled and nodded.   
  
"I'm feeling much better now," Tera said with a quick glance at Tai. Everyone missed it but Jen and Matt.   
  
"Do you feel any better, Tai?" Izzy asked.   
  
"Well, my ankle still kinda hurts, but yeah, I'm okay," Tai said.   
  
"That's great!" Jen said.   
  
"Is the game over? How did we do?" Tai asked. Matt, Sora, and Izzy all gave Jen looks that said, quite plainly "you tell him".  
  
"Umm...well...you see...we lost," Jen said after a long pause. Tai hung his head a bit. "It's not your fault, Tai! You didn't mean to get hurt."   
  
"I shouldn't have let my gaurd down. It's all my fault..." he said dejectedly. Matt looked down at him.  
  
"Hey Tai...?" he asked.   
  
"Yeah?" Tai responded miserably, looking up. Matt pulled his fist back, but hesitated.   
  
"Damn." Matt said. "If you weren't hurt, then I would've pounded you for that." Tai gave him a wry smile. A look of understanding passed between the two friends.   
  
"Alright, alright," Tai said. (A/N: Did you see that episode? It's in Digimon Adventures 2. It's like my all-time favorite moment in Digimon.).  
  
"Well, we should probably get going before that nurse kicks us out. I swear she gave us the evil eye when we asked to visit you. 'That boy needs rest!' Sheesh." Matt said, walking towards the door. "See ya, Tiger," he added with a wink at Tai and a nodd at Tera. Tai glared at him, but nodded in return. Matt gave him a sly smile before walking out the door.   
*****************************************************************************  
Well, there you go! There's something that's been bugging me ever since I started this chapter...I'm not trying to make any racial slurs here. I want America to win the challenge just as much as you (probably) do. But then, we don't want Izzy and Jen-Chan and the rest to loose, either. So, that being said, I'm not trying to insult any race!   
  
Next chapter: The Digidestinds hit town! Also, more on The Teenage Wolves and Tai's girlfriend!!!! (if I get permission to continue writing about her, that is...). To learn more about Tera, read Tiger Lily's story (something about The Crest of Virtue). To learn more about Adrian...well, unless Little Indigo has been posting behind my back, I don't think she has a story about him yet. But trust me, she's working on it, so check on her sometimes! See you! 


	11. The Digidestineds Hit Town

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, Tera, or Adrian (you know who they belong to by now-.-) I don't own ANY stores, including FAO Scwartz. I don't own ANY toys, expecially PokEMon stuff!  
  
Jenashu: Oi! Today, the Digidestineds hit the streets of New York City! Yay! BTW, I got permission to use Tera in my story! Yay! Well, I felt bad for Tai, so I decided to hook him up with someone, okies?  
******************************************************************************  
The Digidestineds Hit Town  
  
The sun poured through the window and touched the body of the sleeping girl. The warmth of the rays spread through her, causing her to awaken. Jen looked at the clock and gasped. Seven-thirty? she asked herself. You mean I actually woke up early?   
  
Jen sat up groggily and looked around. Suddenly she realized that Lulu was gone. "Sora, Sora!" Jen cried, shaking the sleeping girl until her mahogany eyes popped open. "Where's Lulu?"   
  
"Probably getting food," Sora replied sleepily.   
  
"It's only 7:30! Breakfast doesn't start until 8:00!" Jen pointed out.   
  
"Some people actually get up early," Sora replied.   
  
"What do you mean? That won't affect the time that breakfast is served here!" Jen cried, practically disstressed into tears.   
  
"It affects the time that people open their stores," Sora said, now fully awake. Jen blinked at her.   
  
"What do you mean?" she demanded again.   
  
"I mean that today's the day we get to go out and shop and stuff," Sora replied calmly. Jen gawked at her.   
  
"Really? Wow! Mimi can give us the grand tour!" Jen said happily, hurrying to get dressed.   
  
"I wouldn't hurry so much if I were you," Sora told Jen. "I doubt the boys will be up and at 'em for a while."   
  
"You're right...But I can fix that!" Jen said. She reached for the phone.   
  
"You wouldn't!" Sora exclaimed.   
  
"Wanna bet?" Jen asked as she dialed some numbers. After about seven rings (A/N: well, hotels don't usually have answering machines, right?), an extremely tired voice greeted her. Well, kind of greeted her.   
  
"What?!" Tai asked angrily.   
  
"Rise and shine, o my cousin!" Jen chirped cheerfully. "Today's the day we hit town!"  
  
"Like I care? I can't walk, remember?" Tai said, now sounding depressed as well as angry.   
  
"Oh, it's okay. The nurse should have a wheel chair," Jen replied happily. "I won't leave you behind!"   
  
"I don't want-" Tai started.   
  
"I won't take no for an answer! Wake up Matt and Izzy, please, Tai," Jen cut him off.   
  
"Trust me, they're both up," Tai replied. Jen heard someone say "give me that!" The next moment, she was talking to a very angry Yamato.   
  
"What the hell are you doing, calling us at 7:30?!" he asked. Jen laughed.   
  
"I'm doing you a favor. New York, New York, here we come!" Suddenly she heard the phone crackle, and she was talking to Izzy.   
  
"Jen? What's going on? Is something wrong? Are you alright?" he asked worridly.   
  
"Aww, I'm fine Izzy-Chan, I'm sorry to worry you," Jen said, feeling very moved. "I just wanted to make sure you were all up. We get to explore today, and I won't go without you!"   
  
"Oh, I forgot about that. Okay, we'll get ready," he said. Jen distinctively heard Matt say,   
  
"Speak for yourself, Romeo! I'm going back to bed."  
  
"See you, Izzy-Chan. Could you give the phone to Matt? I'm going to let Sora deal with him," Jen said, laughing.   
  
"Alright, I will. See you, Jen."   
  
Jen handed Sora the phone and started to get ready. She knew Sora could convince Matt to do just about anything, which meant that the Digidestineds were all going. This is gonna be great! Jen thought happily.  
*************  
  
By the time breakfast was over, the number of people in the group swelled. The Teenage Wolves, Michael, Garu, and Tera all decided to go with the Digidestineds. The Teenage Wolves didn't want to go without their 'Fearless Leader', Michael didn't want to go without Mimi, Garu's best friend's girlfriend was a shop-o-holic and would want to go in EVERY store (so said Garu), and Tera was a bit niffed at her friend Cyrstal after the whole closet thing. So, the whole group (all13 of them) where on their own on the streets of New York, their only restrictions being a curfew and staying in a group.   
  
"Didn't they say something about using common sense, too?" Kakeyu asked. Yaten nodded miserably. "Ah, damn..."   
  
"Never a dull moment with them around, huh?" Garu whispered to Jen, tilting his head towards The Teenage Wolves. She nodded in consent.   
  
"Hey!!! Let's go in there!!!" Yaten said, pointing to what had to be the world's largest toy store.   
  
"Umm...FAO Scwartz? That's a toy store," Micael said, sounding a bit disturbed.   
  
"Sounds like fun," Kakeyu said with a wicked grin. "Who's with us?" he asked, putting his hand on Yaten's shoulder.   
  
"I am!" Adrian said, taking a step towards them.   
  
"I guess I should keep you guys out of trouble," Matt said with a sigh.   
  
"Then I'll come, too," Sora said. Matt shook his head.   
  
"Sora, you have a reputation to protect. I'll meet up with you at that resturant over there at noon, okay?" he said.   
  
"That's a great idea! If we ever need to split up, we'll all have lunch there at noon and we'll go from there," Tera said.   
  
"Alright. Have a good time, guys," Mitz said, turning around to catch up with the rest of the group, who were all walking away from the toy store.   
  
"Oh, no you don't! You're coming, too!" Adrian said as he grabbed Mitz's arm and pulled him into FAO Scwartz.  
  
"Why me?" Mitz complained to the world as he allowed himself to be pulled into what was sure to be another big mess.  
**********  
  
"Look at that bookstore!" Jen cried happily as she walked past a giant shop.   
  
"They sure make everything big here, don't they?" Tai observed from his wheelchair.   
  
"I'm going in!" Jen chirped. "Who's coming?"   
  
"I will," Izzy and Garu said at once.   
  
"Me, too!" Tera pipped in.   
  
"Why not?" Tai said, causing the Digidestineds to gawk at him. They knew that the book store definately wasn't his thing.   
  
"Too bad Joe isn't here..." Mimi said with a sigh, causing Michael's face to contort from a happy smile to a jealous frown. "He would love this."   
  
"Are you going?" Michael asked. Mimi shook her head.  
  
"Oh, no. There's a really cute store right around here that I want to go to!" she said happily. "I guess I'll see you guys at lunch!"   
  
Jen, Izzy, Garu, Tai, and Tera walked into the book store, leaving Michael, Mimi, and Sora alone.   
**********  
  
"Here's that store I was talking about!" Mimi said.   
  
"Aww! What cute stuff!" Sora replied.   
  
Just great. Now I'm stuck going into a chick store, Michael thought bitterly as he followed the girls.   
**********  
  
"PokEMon? They still make this crap?" Yaten asked as he held up a rather disturbing Pikachu plushie. "No wonder this aisle is deserted..."  
  
"If I recall correctly, you had the largest collection of PokEMon cards and merchandise in town," Matt pointed out.   
  
"Yeah, I think they could've stocked this whole aisle with your old PokEMon stuff," Mitz observed.   
  
"Now that you mention it, this does look kinda familiar..." Yaten said as he inspected the plushie. "Ya don't think they stole it from me, hmm?"   
  
"Who would want your gross stuff, bro?" Kakeyu asked as he held up a Jigglypuff plushie. "I bet you I can throw this pink balloon thing farther than you can throw your yellow rat thing!"   
  
"You're on, Keyu!" Yaten said, accepting the challenge.   
  
"Everybody pick up a retarded monster thingy!" Kakeyu cried.   
  
"I don't want to touch one of those!" Adrian protested. But in the end, he had no choice; Yaten threw a Squirtle at his face. "Urgh!"   
  
Matt picked up a Growlithe and Mitz choose a Whopper. "Okay, it's the rat thing, the balloon thing, the turtle thing, the dog thing, and the..uhh...what the hell is that supposed to be?!" Kakeyu asked, pointing at the Whopper plushie.   
  
"I think it's supposed to be a fish...who would buy one of these?" Mitz asked, poking the doll in the stomach. The whole band screamed when it squeaked.   
  
"EVIL!" the choursed. (A/N: Actually, I like things that squeak)  
  
"Okay, okay..." Yaten said after the band recovered from their shock. "On the count of three we chuck them down the aisle, okay? One...two...three!" With that, the boys threw the plushies with all of their force, not taking time to aim them properly. With a loud crash, the aisles of toys collasped as the dolls flew into them.  
  
"ARRGGHHH!!!" Adrian screamed as little PokEMon dolls fell on top of him. Other screams and exclaimations (A/N:mostly foul language*sweatdrop*) echoed in the large store. Soon the store's staff came running towards them.   
  
"Your aisles collasped on us!" Kakeyu shouted at them. "You're lucky none of us were hurt! Umm, no one's hurt, right?"  
  
"Arrrgh..." Yaten mumbled weakly.  
  
"Are you alright?" Matt asked, crawling out from under a pile of PokEMon junk. Yaten winked at him.   
  
"Ohhh..." he moaned, filling his voice with pain.   
  
"Come on, bro! We have to get you help!" Kakeyu said, helping Yaten stand. Yanten leaned heavily on Kakeyu and put an arm around his shoulder. He began to walk with a very exagerated limp. Mitz, Matt, and Adrian followed behind.   
  
"By the way, you'll hear from our lawyers!" Adrian shouted as they boarded the escalator and slowly decended. As soon at they were sure that the shocked employees couldn't see them anymore, they broke out into a run and left the store.   
  
"SCORE!!" they all chourosed, raising their hands into a five-person high five.   
**********  
  
"Wow, I just knew it! Tera, check out all of these Mangas!" Jen said happily as she pulled out her favorite kind of book in the world. "I love this!"   
  
"Cool! How will I decide which ones to buy?" Tera asked. Jen nodded; she was having the same problem. Meanwhile, Izzy was drooling over the gargantuan section full of computer books, Garu was searching for the series of books he read, and Tai was, well, basically wheeling himself around and trying to look deeply interested in something whenever Tera cast her green-eyed gaze towards him.  
  
Tera suddenly remembered that she had to look for the next novel in the series of books she was reading, and she left Jen alone in the Manga section. A few moments after Tera left, Izzy walked towards her. "I knew I'd find you here, Jen," he said.   
  
Suddenly Jen frowned. "What's wrong?" Izzy asked.   
  
"I was just wondering what kind of trouble The Teenage Wolves are causing right now...There are probably lots of possibilities at a toy store..."  
  
"Is this what they call 'woman's intuition'?" Izzy asked with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure they're fine."   
  
"It's not them I'm worried about; it's the poor people at the the toy store!" Jen exclaimed. Izzy laughed and leaned against the rack of books. "Don't do that! It might fall!" Jen cried as she gently pulled him off of the aisle.   
  
"That would be a mess, wouldn't it?" Izzy asked.   
  
"More importantly, it could be painful!" Jen said. Izzy smiled again.   
  
"You're starting to sound like Joe," he said playfully.   
  
"Please don't say that," Jen requested, causing Izzy to laugh out loud.   
  
"You're so funny," he said fondly. Jen blushed.   
  
"It's not on purpose..." she trailed off. Izzy gently touched her cheek. Where is all of this coming from? he asked his normally shy self. Well, maybe I'm only shy when it comes to this- showing Jen my feelings for her, that is. It's so frustrating-why can't I just tell her? Just say it, Izzy! Tell her!   
  
Izzy cleared his throat. "Jen, I..." he started. Jen tilted her head in a way that said, "yes?"  
"I..."   
  
"Hey, you two, have you seen Te-" Tai's voice called as he turned into the aisle. He stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Izzy reaching up and touching his cousin's face (while the redhead's own face was about as red as his hair). "Oops, sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt anything!" he said, smirking at Izzy. "I'll just leave you two alone," he added smugly as he wheeled himself away.   
  
There was a long pause after Tai left. Izzy slowly brought his hand down and sighed.   
  
"Life's not fair, huh?" Jen said finally. "Well, they say the fourth time's the charmer," she added in an attempt to cheer Izzy up.   
  
"You mean we have to be embarrassed like that again?" Izzy asked.   
  
"Maybe, but I don't care," Jen said, causing Izzy to blush even more. "Besides, it could have been worse."   
  
"W-what d-do you mean?" Izzy stammered, his wits weakened by the odd feeling running through him.  
  
"It could've been The Teenage Wolves instead of Tai!"  
*************   
  
"Oh my gosh! Look at this, it's SO CUTE!" Mimi cried as she held up an outfit.   
  
"Yeah!" Sora agreed as she examined the earrings on sale.   
  
This is going to be a looong day...Michael thought with a sigh.   
*************  
  
"You know guys, I'm surprised none of us got hurt," Mitz said. The boys had caused two more "accidents" so far, and it was only 11:30.  
  
"Where, bro?" Kakeyu asked with a laugh.   
  
"Mainly the toy store," Mitz replied. "And would you please stop calling us 'bro'? None of us are related to you, thank the Lord."  
  
"Whatever, bro."   
  
"Well, actually, we probably helped out today in the toy store. If five stuffed toys could knock the aisles over, then they have a problem on their hands. Guys, as much as I hate to say it, we might've done something constructive," Adrian pointed out.   
  
"THE HORROR!" the others chourosed.   
  
"Oh, guys," Matt said suddenly, "it's 11:30. We should probably head back to the restaurant."  
  
"Yeah, we wouldn't want to keep your girlfriend waiting," Yaten said sarcastically, elbowing Matt playfully.   
  
"Knock it off," Matt ordered.   
  
"Whatever, o Fearless Leader!"   
  
"He really does have to be fearless to date Sora..."   
  
"They'd better have good food at that place!"   
  
"I bet everyone else got lost."   
  
"SHUT UP!" Matt shouted as his band pelted him with their comments. Suddenly, his eyes popped open. "What...did you say, Mitz?"   
  
"I said, I bet everyone else got lost."   
  
"...does anyone know which way the restaurant is?"  
  
"Oh SHIT!"   
************  
  
Tai's stomach growled loudly as the group looked for a shop that interested them. With all five of them, they had found lots of good stores. "I think it's lunch time, guys," Tai said.   
  
"He's right," Garu said, glancing at his watch. "It's almost noon. We'd better go to the restaurant..."   
  
"You can always count on my stomach alarm!" Tai exclaimed, causing Tera to burst into giggles.   
  
"Hey! Wait up!" Everyone turned around when they heard Mimi calling them. She was carrying tons of bags, and it looked like Michael had some of hers, too.   
  
"So," Izzy whispered to Michael, "did Mimi drag you into all the, ah, feminine stores?"   
  
"Why didn't you warn me?"   
  
"Sorry, it slipped my mind."  
  
"Alright, let's go!" Sora said, leading the way to the restaurant.   
*********  
  
"Where are they? It's 12:15..." Sora trailed off as she sipped her soda.   
  
"Knowing Matt's band, they've most likely mislocated themselves..." Izzy said.  
  
"You mean they're lost?!" Sora asked, grabbing Izzy's collar from across the table. Garu hid a satisfied smile behind his drink.  
  
"Well, it's not nessicarily true!" Izzy gasped.   
  
"Hey, stop!" Jen cried, prying Sora's fingers off of Izzy's shirt.   
  
"I'm sorry...I'm just worried," Sora said softly as the waiter came around with their food.   
  
The teens sat at two tables pushed together; Sora, Mimi, Tai, and Tera sat on one side, while Izzy, Jen, Garu, and Michael sat on the other.   
  
Finally, at 12:30, five teens burst through the doors.   
  
"Sorry, guys, we lost track of time," Adrian called.   
  
"You mean you lost track of yourselves!" Tai replied, causing Tera to laugh. The boys pulled up a table and sat down to have their lunch.  
**********  
  
"Alright everyone, time for a potty break!" Kakeyu called, attracting many odd looks. Everyone but Tai and Tera got up.   
  
"I'm fine," they said as one.   
  
"Okay, but we're not going to stop for you later!" Kakeyu said.   
  
"You're not even going with us," Tera reminded him. The teen shrugged and walked away.   
  
Tai sighed and put his hands on the wheels on the sides of his chair. Tera gave him a concerned look.   
  
"If you want, I'll push you," she said. Tai smiled.   
  
"No thanks. This is better than a day at the gym!" he said, flexing his arms to show off the muscles there.   
  
"Ah, tough guy," Tera said playfully. Tai smiled.   
  
"I hold my own," he said.   
  
"I like that," Tera replied. Tai gave her a goofy grin.   
  
"Are you having fun?" he asked.   
  
"Yeah, your friends are all so nice. And those guys are hilarious!" she said, tilting her head towards the table that The Teenage Wolves had been sitting at.   
  
"They're nuts, all five of 'em," Tai replied.   
  
"Who's nuts?" Yaten demanded as he walked towards them.   
  
"That was quick," Tai said. Yaten shrugged. Suddenly, Tera giggled, and Tai realized what it sounded like he was talking about.  
  
"Never mind, Yaten!" he shouted.   
************  
  
"That was fun..." Jen said with a smile as she sat on her bed. "I wonder how Mimi's gonna get all that stuff in her bag?"  
  
"I think she got her Dad to pick it up and take it home," Sora replied.   
  
"Ah..." Jen said.   
  
"Hey, Jen. You do know that we're leaving for Austrailia tomorrow, right?" Lulu asked.   
  
Jen's eyes popped open. "REALLY?!" she asked.   
  
"You should really keep up with what's going on, Jen!" Sora said.   
  
"Why bother when I've got you two?" Jen said with a big smile. "I'm so excited!"   
  
"...but we have to wake up at about four in the morining, you know," Lulu pointed out.  
  
"WHAT?!"  
****************************************************************************  
  
Jenashu: Taa daa! Well, I don't have much to say about that chapter. It was kind of pointless, but still entertaining (I hope!). So, I guess I'll see you next time! 


	12. The Fourth Time's a Charmer

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, Adrian, or Tera.   
  
Jenashu: Hello, hello! I had lots of fun writing the last chapter, and I hope you had fun reading it! Let's see...here's what happened. The Teenage Wolves got into MORE trouble, Tera and Tai improved their relationship, and Izzy and Jen tried vainly to get some romance in the trip! Today's Events: The World School Challenge moves to Austrailia (did I spell that right?)!!!! Also...well, I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise!  
******************************************************************************  
The Fourth Time's a Charmer  
  
Izzy sighed as Jen's long hair spilled over his laptop's monitor. Getting up at four AM had really zonked the girl out, and she was trying to catch up on her beauty sleep during the plane ride to Austraila. That was fine with Izzy, but the plane kept moving Jen's body against Izzy's. Normally, he wouldn't complain, but, judging by the looks Matt and Tai were giving the poor redhead, he was going to get a talking-to from "the masters" if he didn't put some kind of stop to it. So, with a reluctant sigh, he decided to wake her up.   
  
Now how can I go about doing this without attracting attention? Izzy wondered. Suddenly, the "Fasten Seatbelts" sign lit up.   
  
"We are experiancing minor turbulance. Please fasten your seatbelts," the captain said over an intercom system. Saved by the weather! Izzy thought with a releived smile.   
  
"...Jen? Jen? Wake up, Jen," Izzy said softly. Jen gave no response. She sleeps like a rock! Izzy thought. It seems that I must resort to plan B. Izzy gently placed his hand on Jen's shoulder and tried shaking her awake. Still no response. Of course! Her body must have accustomed itself to motion for her to sleep so soundly on a plane...Now, what's my plan C? Suddenly, Izzy got an idea.   
  
Izzy looked around to make sure that no one was watching him (mainly Tai and Matt). They were both busy trying to work their seat belts, so the redhead seized his chance. He gulped before leaning close to Jen and blowing (with some affection) in her ear.   
  
"Wuh...?" Jen mumbled as she awoke. She turned her head quickly to see what was blowing in her ear. She gasped in surprise when she discovered the source and something else; her nose was a mere centimeter from Izzy's!   
  
"Now you two, not so close," Kakeyu teased as he peered over Jen and Izzy's seats.   
  
"Yea, one would think that you two are trying something," Yaten added. Jen gave another small gasp before sharply turning her face away from Izzy's.   
  
"You two are supposed to be wearing you seatbelts!" Izzy pointed out. Kakeyu and Yaten were standing up to get a better look at the embarrased couple.   
  
"Whatever, bro," Kakeyu said with a careless shrug as he sat down again. He turned around to share what he had seen with Mitz and Adrian.   
  
"What was that all about?" Jen whispered to Izzy. She was now aware that almost everyone who knew them was staring at them.  
  
"Well, umm, seatbelts! The plane-you-wake up..." Izzy mumbled. He was so embarrased that he couldn't string together a sentance. Jen looked up at the glowing sign showing a seatbelt. Suddenly she understood what Izzy was babbling about.   
  
"Why didn't you just put it on for me?" Jen asked while she fastened her seatbelt. Izzy gawked at her.   
  
"I, umm...I figured that...you wouldn't want me...umm, anywhere near...er, ahh..."  
  
"You little goof..." Jen said with a sigh. After a few tense moments of silence, Jen leaned towards Izzy and whispered, "that was three, you know..." Izzy stared at her before he understood.  
**********  
  
"I'm starting to hate hotels," Lulu said as she unpacked her stuff again. Jen looked out the window and gasped. There was a beautiful beach! And it was nothing like the ones back at home. In Japan, a beach was just a strip of concrete, then sand, then water (A/N: This is judging by what I've seen in the Digimon cartoon). But this was glorious! The bright sun, the crystal-clear water, the sound of the surf, and the white sand...There was no concrete or roads in sight, either. Also, on the very edge of the beach, there were plants that Jen had never seen before.   
  
"Wow! Check out that hunky lifeguard!" Lulu said with a giggle while she leaned on the windowsill with Jen.   
  
"I want to go..." Jen said with a sigh. Sora and Lulu nodded in agreement. "Alright! Let's change and-" Jen started. She was cut off by a knock at the door.   
  
"What are you three doing? We're supposed to be getting briefed!" Drellus said while he stepped inside the room. "Come on!"   
  
"Where's Izzy?" Jen asked.   
  
"Who knows? Just hurry up!"  
  
While the girls hurried out of the room, Drellus stole a look at Lulu. She felt his gaze and gave him a questionate look. Drellus blushed and looked away.  
************   
  
"I don't believe I missed the day at the beach to be talked to death..." Jen groaned while she ate her dinner. Izzy smiled at her.   
  
"There's still a bit of daylight out..." he said, feeling very glad that everyone else was too busy with their own conversations to listen to Jen and Izzy's.   
  
Jen looked out the window and gave Izzy a confused look. "But it's almost sunse-" she started before cutting herself off. She took a long drink of soda because her throat had suddenly gone dry. "Actually, you're right. Let's go."   
  
With that, Jen and Izzy abandoned their plates and went to their rooms to change.   
***********  
  
Izzy found Jen at the entrance to the hotel. She was wearing a two-peice bathing suit (A/N: But not a bikini! I'm so sick of how all the DD girls have PERFECT figures. Although Jen has one thing over them; she's not flat like they are!). Izzy could tell that she had taken a lot of time to find it at the store, because it was just loose enough and long enough in the top to hide the fact that she wasn't a size zero, and it was just tight enough in the bottom to show that she wasn't a size in the teens, either. Izzy blushed as they walked outside onto the beach.   
  
"You, uh, look great," he mumbled. Jen smiled and reached over. She grasped Izzy's hand and gently pulled him closer to her. The redhead was wearing a shirt with his swimming trunks, revealing how shy he could be.   
  
"Thank you," Jen said happily. They walked over a hill and towards the water. When Jen saw the beach, she gasped quietly in frustration. The beach was full of teenagers from the WSC!  
  
I'm so stupid. Why did I expect the beach to be deserted? Jen thought with a frown. To her surprise, Izzy was leading her undauntedly towards all the strange plants Jen had seen through her window.   
  
Jen made a distgruntled noise when she and Izzy walked past a couple their age kissing in public. Izzy looked at her, saw the teens, and nodded in agreement. When they were out of earshot, Izzy said, "you think that's gross?"   
  
"Well, couldn't they, you know, find somewhere a bit...less crowded?" Izzy gave her a sad look, and Jen realized that that's exactly what he had been trying to do since the time Garu interrupted them. She blushed and looked down at the sand. A beautiful shell was at her feet. "Look at this!" she said, stopping to pick it up.  
  
"That's a scallop shell. I didn't know they could be that large," Izzy said. "It's a very delicate shell."  
  
"I think I'll keep it," Jen said, gently wrapping the fingers of her free hand around it.   
  
"Now, look what I've found," Izzy said, pointing at the plants. Strange little trees had grown very high. The plants formed what appeared to be a mixture of a grotto and a grove-in other words, a private little clearing with natural walls. Jen, however, couldn't see it through that wall.   
  
"What?" she asked. Izzy didn't respond; he just led Jen through a gap in the lush plantlife. Once inside, Jen could see what Izzy saw; and the best part was, no one else could see.  
  
"Did you expect this to be here?" Jen asked Izzy smiled mysteriously. "Wait a second! That's why Drellus didn't know where you were earlier! You came out here, didn't you?"   
  
"Well, my Mom collects shells, so I was looking for some when I saw this," Izzy said. "And I wanted to show you something else I saw in here..." he said. He reached under a low-growing plant and pulled up a beautiful orange flower.   
  
"Umm, here..." Izzy said, holding it out to Jen. She blushed and took it.   
  
"For me?" Izzy nodded. "Thank you...It's beautiful." Jen said. After a moment of silence, Izzy cleared his throat.   
  
"Should we go? We can't see the sunset," he said. Jen shook her head.   
  
"No, that's okay. Let's stay here for a while..." she replied, sitting down on the sand. "This place...I've never imagined that all these plants could grow so close to the sea! It's almost magical..."  
  
Izzy sat down about a foot away from Jen. The girl gave him a questionate look before scooting so close to him that she was practically sitting in his lap. Izzy blushed heavily as Jen wrapped her arms around his neck.   
  
"I'll...I'll see if I can identify these plants later," he managed to say.   
  
"Mmm hmm..." Jen mumbled as she moved one of her arms a bit so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Izzy..." she whispered into his ear, "thank you for bringing me here. I love you, Izzy..."   
  
Izzy looked shocked. It took him a minute to come to. "You...I..." Izzy started. That's wrong, you idiot! he thought to himself as he cleared his throat to try again. "I love you, too, Jen..."   
  
This is too good to be true! Izzy thought as he looked around. No one was anywhere near their little hidey-hole, and, if they were, they wouldn't be able to see in anyway. Suddenly Izzy's mind was jerked out of his thoughts. He felt Jen's sweet breath on his face, causing him to jump. Jen giggled.   
  
"Are you awake?" she asked softly. Izzy nodded and wrapped an arm around Jen's waist.   
  
"You startled me," he admitted.   
  
"Sorry," Jen said, looking a little daunted.   
  
"No, don't be..." Izzy told her as he gently touched her face, trying to reassure her. "I'm the one who should be so-" he started. Jen had managed to cast some kind of spell over Izzy again, and he couldn't speak. This is your chance!!!! a voice in Izzy's head shouted. Izzy summoned up his courage and moved even closer to Jen, until inches of space turned to centimeters. He looked into Jen's eyes, silently asking if it was okay. Jen closed her bright, brown eyes in respose. Izzy took one last look at his goddess before closing his own eyes and gently pressing his lips against hers.   
  
What started out as an extrememly clumsy kiss soon developed into a passionate one. Izzy gently ran his hands through Jen's long hair while Jen separated Izzy's lips with her toungue. Suddenly, Izzy's mind screamed "I need air!", causing the redhead to end his first kiss.   
  
While Izzy gasped for air, Jen started giggling hyterically. "You're so funny!" she said. "Didn't you remember to breathe through your nose?!" Izzy stared at her.   
  
"You're going to get it now," he teased, leaning close to Jen to kiss her again.  
************  
  
"What took you two so long?" Tai asked when Jen and Izzy returned to the lobby that The Teenage Wolves had claimed for everyone earlier.   
  
"We walked a little too far out. We forgot that we had to walk back," Jen said, using the truth to her advantage. Well, some of the truth.   
  
"I wonder what possibly could have made you forget?" Matt asked, grinning slyly at Izzy. The redhead sighed and realized that he would have a lot of explaining to do when the three of them got into the hotel room.   
  
"You know what the ocean does to teens!" Jen replied happily as Izzy sank into a poufy chair. Jen looked around and saw that his chair was the only one left. She giggled and sat on Izzy's lap and cuddled against him. Izzy blushed and wrapped his arms around her waist again. So what if Matt and Tai teased him? He had his lovely goddess on his side, and for her he'd endure anything (even a lecture from "the masters"!).  
****************************************************************************  
Jen: Taa daa!  
Izzy: Joe, I think I need your inhailer...  
Jen: Well, there you go! See you next chapter! Oh, also remember to go check out Little Indigo and Tiger Lily's stuff!!! 


	13. A Boy Who's a Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, Tera, or Adrian. Drat it all!  
  
Jenashu: Yay!!! I hope everyone liked the last chapter.   
Izzy: I did!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
Jenashu: *sweatdrop* Yes, I know...  
Yama: It was BORING.  
Izzy: I didn't think so!  
Jenashu: Umm, boys? Can we just start the chapter?  
Yama: Whatever. Here's chapter 13.  
Jenashu: Say it with feeling!  
Izzy: Er...  
Jenashu: Enough of this! Time for chapter 13, everyone! Enjoy!!!!  
******************************************************************************  
A Boy That's a Friend  
  
The next four days in Austrailia were very uneventful for the Digidestineds. They watched all of the swimming contests (and placed in two of the five, conquering one), the Culinary Challenge (no luck), archery (they won one of the four) , and basketball (no luck). However, they did get to watch The Teenage Wolves make "Lobster Brain Surprise" with the leftover ingredients from the Culinary Challenge. The worst part was that there was no seafood left. You figure that one out.  
  
The next big thing for everyone was that they were going to...China! The perk that the teens were looking forward to was a kite-flying contest. However, when they got there, they found out that the catch was...  
  
"You must build your kite with a student from another country," the announcer person said. Jen looked around the building. It was full of all the people that could be her partner. She almost asked Tera, but she knew who the green-eyed girl would prefer to work with. Before she could ask Mimi, Sora did, and Michael asked Izzy. Suddenly, she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.   
  
"Garu!" Jen cried, looking up at him. How did I forget him? she asked herself.   
  
"Did I startle you?" he asked with a smile. "Sorry. Can we work on this together? It would be just like old times."  
  
"I don't know. The last time we tried this, it took us two hours to assemble a kite from a kit, and when we did, you got it stuck in a tree. Remember?" Jen joked. Garu blushed.   
  
"Well, we'll do better this time," he said.   
  
"We're not allowed to even use kits!" Jen teased.   
  
"Give me a break!" Garu requested.   
  
"Okay!" Jen said. She had been waiting for an excuse to have a little chat with Garu, anyway. Izzy, however, was not pleased with the arrangement. He kept it to himself, though; he didn't want to upset Jen. Besides, she might just want to tell him to back off, Izzy told himself. Yeah, that must be it...  
**************  
  
"Pass me the glue," Garu said to Jen. She put down her pencil to hand Garu the paste. "Thanks. How's it going?"   
  
"Looks good, doesn't it?" Jen asked, holding up the heavy piece of paper that was going to be  
the kite's face. It showed the image of a flying phoenix with flames dancing behind it.   
  
"That's awesome!" Garu exclaimed. Jen smiled. The two of them had agreed that Jen would make the kite look good and Garu would make it work.   
  
"Thanks!" Jen said before looked around the common room. She and Garu were in their own little corner. Lots of other groups were all around them, but none of them had ventured close enough to hear their conversation.   
  
The girl twirled her pencil around, as she was starting to get a little bored. Suddenly it slipped out of her fingers and fell near Garu. Without really looking up, Jen reached for it. Her hand touched Garu's.   
  
"Oops, 'scuse me," Jen said while she started to pull her hand back. Garu laced his fingers between hers. Jen looked up into his baby blues. "Garu...please," she said as she tried to wiggle her fingers out of Garu's strong (but gentle) grip.   
  
"What?" Garu asked softly, gazing back into her eyes. Jen swallowed hard, remembering the effect that his beautiful eyes had on her. Garu slowly scooted closer to her.   
  
"Stop, Garu. I can't. Izzy's my boyfriend. Please don't do this to me," Jen requested, trying to stare him down, but failing spectacularly. It seemed to take Garu a moment to comprehend what Jen had told him, but when he did, he turned his face away as of he'd been slapped.   
  
"Garu, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you!" Jen said, pouring all of her heart into her words. Garu was silent for a moment before he said:  
  
"But you did."  
  
"I didn't want to!" Jen repeated. Garu refused to meet her eyes. "Garu...Listen, I...I want to be your friend. Remember? We were always together when we were little, and I remember how much fun we had together. Can we still be friends? Please, Garu?"  
  
Garu was silent for another long moment. He finally released Jen's hand and picked up the kite's face. He attached it to the kite's body, attached the tail, and held the finished kite up. He handed it to Jen before slowly walking away without looking back.  
************  
  
"Hello?" Izzy asked while he knocked on the door to Jen, Sora, and Lulu's hotel room. Sora opened the door a moment later. "Have you seen Jen? She didn't come to dinner."  
  
"She locked herself in the bathroom," Sora said. "She looked really upset. We tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't answer us..."  
  
"What?! Do you know what happened?" Izzy asked. Lulu shook her head.   
  
"Not a clue. But it's a good thing you came; she may talk to you." she said. Then, loudly, "Jen, Sora and I are going down to work on out kites! See ya!" Sora and Lulu left the room, closing the door softly behind them.   
  
"Jen?" Izzy asked, leaning on the bathroom door. After a moment of silence, he got an answer.   
  
"Izzy?" said a very upset voice that was only a ghost of the happy voice Izzy knew so well.  
  
"Yes. Can you open the door?" Another silence, then a click sound. The door slowly swung open, revealing a sad-looking Jen. Her bright brown eyes were brimming with unshed tears. Izzy slowly walked over to one of the beds and sat down. He patted the quilt, telling Jen to sit next to him. She obeyed his unspoken command and stared at the floor.   
  
Izzy put two fingers under her chin and gently tilted her head up. Their eyes locked. "Tell me what's wrong," he said softly. Jen tried to speak, but all that came out was a sob. She threw her arms around Izzy and pressed her face against his shoulder. Izzy felt hot tears slipping down his neck.   
  
Lulu and Sora didn't know what was wrong, Izzy thought, so that must mean...  
  
"Is it Garu?" Izzy asked while he stroked Jen's hair.   
  
"Y-yes," Jen said between sobs. Izzy's body tensened.   
  
"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" he asked sharply. If that jerk laid a finger on her...Izzy told himself.  
  
"N-no!" Jen choked out. Izzy sighed in relief.   
  
"Then what happened?"   
  
Jen tried to answer him, but she couldn't get more than one or two words out. "Stop," Izzy said, silencing Jen's attempt to speak. "Go ahead and cry it out, love, I'll wait," Izzy said softly. He gently rocked back and forth and continued to stroke her hair. Eventually, Jen's sobs were few and far between. Izzy gently grasped her shoulders and pulled her back so he could see her. Her face was red and wet, and her eyes were puffy.  
  
Izzy frowned. Just seeing his goddess looking so sad was enough to make him cry. Instead, he decided to do something more productive. He leaned forward and gently kissed the tears off of Jen's cheeks.   
  
Jen was practically shocked out of her sadness when she felt Izzy's lips (and sometimes his toungue-it seemed that Izzy couldn't resist) brushing against her cheeks again and again. She squeezed Izzy hard, feeling a hundred emotions all at once.   
  
Izzy had tasted his own tears before, and he knew that they were bitter. However, he thought to himself, Jen's tears are almost sweet...  
  
When Izzy was done, Jen sighed. Izzy heard an edge of happiness and smiled. He hated to make her think about what had happened, but he needed to know.   
  
"Are you ready to talk yet?" Izzy asked. Jen repositioned herself in Izzy's arms and nodded.   
  
"Well...Umm, what happened was..." Jen started. She explained everything that happened. Izzy listened attentively until she was finished.   
  
"If he did that, then why do you still want to be his friend?" Izzy asked. Jen sighed.  
  
"Izzy...have you ever had a friend that you could tell anything? A friend that was like family to you? Someone that you never want to leave?" Jen asked.  
  
"Besides you?" Izzy asked. Jen blushed.   
  
"Alright...If I just walked away, would you cry over it?"   
  
Izzy looked at her and realized that she had a point. "I...I would," he admitted.   
  
After a moment of silence, Jen gently broke out of Izzy's embrace. She walked into the bathroom, and when she came back, she was carrying the kite.   
  
"It's prodigious!" Izzy exclaimed. Jen smiled and sat it down on the floor.   
  
"It is neat, isn't it?" Jen asked. Izzy noticed a touch of sadness in her voice.   
  
"Don't worry, Jen. Maybe you can patch things up at the contest," he said.   
  
"I hope so," Jen replied before climbing onto Izzy's lap and embracing him again.  
***************  
  
Jen held her kite close to her while she searched for Garu on the hill. The day of the contest had finally arrived, but he was no where in sight. All of the others had made their kites. Tai and Tera's was much like Jen's, except it showed a tiger's face. Sora and Mimi had a very odd-looking pink-and-blue kite. Jen doubted that theirs would actually fly. Izzy and Micheal had a traditional Chinease kite (you know, the box-type kite), but the paper was covered with Japanease symbols. Jen supposed that only the Chinease and the Japanease would notice, anyway. All of the others had choosen a person to be their partner at random (although most of the Teenage Wolves asked the first pretty girl they could find).  
  
"Excuse me?" Jen asked of one of the French boys. "Have you seen Garu?" The boy nodded and pointed towards a bunch of trees. Jen walked over and saw Garu laying on a tree branch. "Garu!" Jen called.   
  
Garu looked down at her. "Hi!" he said before he could stop himself. Jen smiled and held up the kite.   
  
"Come on!" she said. "I can't fly it without you!"   
  
Garu seemed to be considering things. The night before he had thought about all the times he had been over Jen's house. How often she helped him escape his father. How nice she was to him. In the end, he knew that he would have to get over his crush on her. Expecially since he didn't want to lose her completely. Finally, he started climbing down the tree. He took one end of the kite from Jen and smiled at her. "Let's go," he said. Jen's face lit up.   
  
"Okay!" she said happily.   
  
"I'm sorry, Jen." Garu said while they walked towards the top of the hill. Jen looked down. "I made you cry...didn't I?"   
  
"...yes..."   
  
"...was Izzy there for you?"   
  
"Yes..."  
  
"Then...then he has my gratitude. I'm sorry...will you still be my friend?" Garu asked, holding his breath.   
  
"Yes," Jen repeated. She patted Garu's shoulder and smiled. "I'll always be your friend."  
  
"...Thank you," Garu said. Simple words, thank you. But one can put their whole heart in them, and that's what Garu did.   
*********  
  
Garu and Jen didn't win the contest, but they had a lot of fun flying their phoenix kite around and trying to avoid the trees. The only people who won that Jen knew was Tai and Tera. To Jen's surprise, Tai knew how to make a kite do all kinds of tricks. Sora and Mimi never did get their kite in the air, and Izzy and Micheal got chewed out by almost every person who could read Chinease or Japanease symbols. It turned out that there was some kind of misunderstanding. Izzy had asked Micheal to use Chinease symbols, but he thought he said Japanease, and because of his sloppy handwriting, Izzy couldn't read it, and since he didn't know Chinease, he figured it was right.   
  
By the time the contest was over, the sun was setting. Jen held her kite up to the orange sky before she handed it to Garu. "I want you to keep it," she said. Garu gawked at it.   
  
"Are you sure?" he asked. "If I had made it myself, it would just be white and no one would want it. I think you should keep it."   
  
"I'm sure. It's...I guess it's...you know, like a symbol of our friendship," Jen said, hopping that what she said didn't sound cheesy.   
  
"...I wish I had something for you to have," he said. Jen's shook her head.  
  
"No, no! It's not really a gift because it was half yours anyway. It will probably be better off with you because we're stopping at France next. As long as one of us has it, it will hold its meaning."  
  
After a moment of silence, Jen spoke up again. "Are you ever coming back to Japan?" she asked.   
  
"Actually, I think my Mom said something about coming back," Garu said with a smile.   
  
"That's cool!" Jen said happily.   
  
"Yeah. If I come back home, then we can take turns with the kite," Garu said.   
  
"Alright," Jen said. Izzy and Micheal walked up to them. "Hey, here comes the confused kite!" Jen joked.   
  
"Very funny. Now everyone's said something," Micheal said.  
  
"Sorry, I couldn't help it," Jen replied.   
  
"Sure," Izzy said, playfully tugging a lock of Jen's hair.   
  
"Heeeey!" Jen cried. She pulled Izzy close and gave him a noogie.   
  
"Stop! Mercy, mercy! Uncle!" Izzy shouted. Jen giggled and released him.   
  
"If you thought that was bad, then you should see Tai and Matt's noogies!" Jen said.   
  
"I can imagine," Izzy replied. Suddenly he noticed Garu. They stared at each other for a moment.   
  
"Hey," Garu said at last.  
  
"Hello," Izzy replied. Jen smiled. Soon she would have her two dear friends talking to one another. Until then, she decided to keep an eye on them both!  
*****************************************************************************  
Jenashu: Taaa Daaa!!! Yay!!! Chapter 13!!!!!! I wonder how many more chapters I can get in??? 


	14. What Silence Can't Say

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own Digimon. Sadness...Well, anyway, I also do not own Tera who belongs to Tiger Lily and Adrian who belongs to Little Indigo. Go read their stuff! Indy finally has a story about her Teenage Wolves, and Tiger Lily's got this new one about the DDs on a boating trip thing! Oh, happy days!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Write more, both of you!  
  
Jenashu: Well, here we are: chapter 14 of Odaiba High! I never thought I'd make it this far!  
Yama: Jen has a history of writing new fics before she can finish her old ones.  
Jenashu: Be quiet Yama! Anyway, I promised to finish the old ones before writing another new one! Be proud of me!  
Yama: Let's see, how many fics need to be finshed? About six, isn't it?  
Jenashu: You're so mean!  
Izzy: Don't be mean to Jen-Chan!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
Jenashu: Anyway, I'm moving the WSC to Paris now! You see, no one cares about what happens to the DDs classmates, really, so...Besides, I have a lot of things to do in Paris, so I was anxious to get there! So, the DDs are at Paris! Okies, on to chapter 14!!!! Enjoy!!!  
******************************************************************************  
What Silence Can't Say  
  
"We're winning, we're winning!" Lulu sang happily while she selected her clothes for the day. "And...we get to explore Paris!!! I'm so excited!"   
  
"I'm so glad I made it..." Sora said with a dreamy smile. Jen looked at her room mates. It looks like the City of Love is making everyone a feel a little...romantic she thought. But then...maybe it's because of the ball...  
  
Everyone was extremely giddy because of that ball. It will be just like a fairytale...Jen thought. I can't wait! (A/N: Unfortunately, folks, that's next chapter!).   
  
"Lulu!" Jen said suddenly. The green-haired girl looked at her. "You'd better ask someone to go with you before the person you want is taken! You do have someone in mind, yes?"   
  
"Maybe..." Lulu replied, blushing slightly. Jen smiled.   
  
"Better go ask him! During breakfast, I dare you!" she said.   
  
"NO!" Lulu cried. "What if he says no?"   
  
"You'll never know until you try!" Jen said. "Come on, I double-dare you!"   
  
"...Fine! Fine!" Lulu replied, throwing her hands into the air. "But you have to ask someone, too."   
  
"That won't be hard," Jen said, smiling as she imagined she and Izzy waltzing. This was made difficult by the fact that Izzy was almost a foot shorter than her, and that she had no idea how to waltz. Oh well, I suppose I'll have to ask around...she thought with a shrug. Although I can't do anything about Izzy's height...I guess high heels are officially out of the question!  
**********  
  
"Hey, Tai, how are you doing?" Jen asked, sitting down next to her cousin. "Are you okay?" she added, giving him a concerned look. Tai had officially cast away his wheel chair today.   
  
"I'm fine, Jen, I've healed," Tai assured her.  
  
"That's good! I wouldn't want you to miss the ball! Speaking of which, you are asking someone, right?" Jen asked, nodding her head innocently in Tera's direction. Tai became disgruntled. "Well, come on now! You haven't had a girlfriend since Sor-umm, for a long time!" Jen gulped and wished she could swallow her words.   
  
Tai stared down at his plate for a long time. Finally, he sighed and looked in Jen's eyes. "You're right," he said simply. Jen gawked at him.   
  
"I-I am?" she asked, sighing in relief at her good fortune.  
  
"For once," Tai teased. He looked in Tera's direction and whispered something so softly that Jen could not hear. But by lip-reading, she knew that he was repeating his earlier statement: "I've healed..."  
*********   
  
"Hey, Izzy!" Jen shouted. Izzy had decided to eat his breakfast outside because he had to think. He had to decide how to ask Jen to go to the ball with him. "There you are."   
  
"Hello," he said with a nervous smile. Jen raised an eyebrow.   
  
"Is something wrong?" she asked.   
  
"Oh! N-no! I'm fine! Really!" Izzy said, squirming uncomfortably under Jen's worried gaze. He had to bite his toungue to keep from gasping when Jen gently placed her hand against his forehead.   
  
"You feel a bit warm!" she said, frowning. "That's terrible! I hope you won't be sick and miss the ball! I wanted us to go together."  
  
Izzy practically choked at that. All morning he had been thinking of how to cordially invite the girl of his dreams to go to the ball with him, and she asks him! He took a deep breath and calmly said, "Trust me, Jen. I'm fine. A-and...I would be honored to go with you."  
  
"Yay! Then it's settled," Jen said, sitting down next to Izzy. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I'm so happy..." she said, sighing contentedly and leaning against him. Izzy nodded and put an arm firmly around her shoulders. He wanted to make sure that Jen didn't go anywhere for a while!  
*********  
  
"Umm, er, ah!!! Lulu!" Drellus called, running to catch up with her in the hallway. "I've been looking all over for you."   
  
"Really?" Lulu asked, her cheeks turning pink. She hadn't been interested with Drellus until he showed a definate interest in her; after that, she found him very,very interesting.  
  
"Well, yeah, you see...I, umm, wanted to ask-that is, umm, if you're not, umm, already going with someone...umm..." Drellus mumbled, stumbling over every few words.   
  
"Spit it out, boy!" Lulu teased, reaching up and ruffling Drellus's careless blonde hair. Drellus turned a deep shade of red.   
  
"Er...wannagoballwithme?" (A/N: I couldn't resist using that line from Harry Potter! I do not own the line or Harry Potter!)  
  
"Excuse me?" Lulu asked. Drellus sighed and gave another shot at asking properly.   
  
"Lulu, will you please go to the ball with me?" he asked. Lulu smiled and nodded vigorously.   
  
"YES!" she practically shouted.  
*******  
  
Tai looked around his hotel room. Matt and Izzy were no where to be found; Tai had the place to himself. He walked over to the phone and stared at it. Finally, he picked it up and dailed some numbers.   
  
The phone in Tera's room started ringing. "I got it!" one of her room mates called. She rushed over and picked it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Umm, hey. Can I talk to Tera?" Tai asked, hopping that the girl would just hand the phone over without asking questions. No luck, as usual.   
  
"Hmm? What's up? She'll be back soon, so we'll talk until then," the girl replied. What nerve! Tai thought with a frown. "Who is this?"   
  
"That's none of your buisness," Tai said, sounding very annoyed. The girl continued undauntedly.   
  
"My name's Crystal. Hey! I bet you're that guy from the kite contest, right?"   
  
"Yeah. Is Tera back yet?" Tai asked, trying to give the girl the message.   
  
"I bet you're calling to ask Tera to the ball! I wouldn't, if I were you. She'll probably step on your feet. But we could go togeth-oh, hi Tera!!!!! There's a boy on the phone for you!"   
  
"Give me that!" Tai heard Tera snap. It was plain to see that Crystal annoyed Tera as well as Tai. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey," Tai replied.   
  
"Oh! Hi, Tai!" Tera replied. "Give me just a second," she added. "Could you give me a minute, guys?" Tai heard some complaints before the door snapped shut. "Why were you talking to Crystal?" Tera asked when her room mates were out of the room.   
  
"I told her that I wanted to talk to you, and she said that you weren't in, and she kept talking and wouldn't shut up," Tai said with a sigh. "Is she your friend? She's super annoying, no offense or anything."   
  
"No, she's not, and I agree with you. She probably insulted me," Tera said bitterly.   
  
"She said something about you stepping on people's toes," Tai informed.  
  
"That! Just because I fell once during a special dance class at school! Gese! Wait a second-she didn't do what I think she did!"  
  
"She did. She said "But we could go together" just before you came in," Tai said.   
  
"Why were you talking about the ball?"   
  
"Because that girl was rambling on and on and on!"   
  
"Well...anyway, what's up?"  
  
"I wanted to know if you would go to the ball with me. I'm out of my wheel chair now, so...yeah," Tai said nervously. There was a slight pause.  
  
"Really?" Tera asked, as if she couldn't believe her ears.   
  
"Well...yeah."  
  
"Sure! That's great! I can't wait!" Tera said. Suddenly, Tai heard someone pounding on the door. "Guess that means my time is up. See you, Taiger!" Tera said before hanging up. Tai stared at the phone with a confused smile on his face. I'm not really sure what just happened, but it sounds good! he thought.   
***********  
  
(A/N: Okay, enough with the ball into. Now it's time for the chapter to really start.)  
  
"Hey, Jen," Garu said, gently grabbing her arm as she walked past him, looking confused. "What's wrong?"   
  
"I think I've been left behind!" she wailed.   
  
"You mean your friends went out without you?" he asked, looking puzzled. "That's weird."  
  
"I know!" she said, looking very distressed.   
  
"Come on, my house is in walking distance. Do you want to come?" he asked. Jen's face lit up.   
  
"Sure!" she said. "Then I can see your Mom again!"   
  
"Great, then it's settled," Garu said with a smile. So, a few minutes later, Jen and Garu were walking the streets of Paris. Jen looked left and right, trying to take everything in at once.   
  
"This is so cool," she said dreamily. Garu smiled.   
  
"Yeah, I know..." he replied. Soon they were outside a qaint house that looked like a cottage from a fairy tale.   
  
"What a cute house!" Jen said, looking astonished. She was used to seeing apartment complexes everywhere, not houses.   
  
"I'm glad you like it," Garu said, pulling a key out of his pocket. He opened the door and walked inside. Jen removed her shoes on instinct and placed them by the door. The sound of someone coming down the stairs sounded through the house, causing Garu's body to tensen.   
  
"Dad! Wh-what are you doing home?" Garu asked nervously.   
  
"I have every right to be in my own house!" Mr.Sayoe roared. Jen realized with a start that Garu's father smelled strongly like alchohol. "Who's this?!" Mr. Sayoe asked, pointing at Jen.   
  
"Hello, Mr.Sayoe! My name's Jenashu Zircona. Remember me? I used to come over when we both lived in Heighten View Terrace," Jen said, trying not to be frightened by Garu's strong, drunken father.   
  
"What are you doing here?!" Mr.Sayoe asked loudly. Jen gulped, but was rescued by Garu.   
  
"I invited her over, Dad," he said calmly. Timid footsteps from the kitched announced the arrival of Mrs.Sayoe.   
  
"Jen? Why, hello dear! It's been ages!" she said, giving Jen a hug. Suddenly she smelled alchohol and looked at her husband. "Why don't you two go into the kitchen for a snack?" she asked. Garu grabbed Jen's arm and dragged her away from his parents and into the safety of the kitchen. Jen tried to ignore Garu's parents, even though she could hear their argument clearly.   
  
"You promised to stop drinking!"   
  
"I'll do whatever I want, woman!"   
  
"It's not safe! You're only hurting yourself, and your family, too!"   
  
"What is that girl doing here?!"   
  
"She's Garu's friend, and she's welcome here!"  
  
"I don't want her in my house!"   
  
"So now it's your house, huh? Then you can pay all the bills!"   
  
Suddenly, thundering footsteps echoed through the house, shaking the floors. They were coming right into the kitchen. Garu jumped up and grabbed Jen's arm again, but before he could lead her out the back door, his father came in the kitchen.   
  
Before Jen's brain could comprehend the situation, she had a huge fist coming towards her face. I can't move! she realized. Garu, however, was not paralyzed by fear. He took the blow on his shoulder for his friend.   
  
"Get out! Both of you!" Mr.Sayoe roared. Garu pulled Jen out the door with his uninjured arm.   
********  
  
"I'm so sorry about that. I didn't expect my father to be home. My Mother is a nurse, and she has off on Wednesdays, so I knew she'd be home, but my father works during the day. He either took the day off or was so drunk that he forgot where he worked," Garu said, finishing with bitterness in his voice.   
  
"Garu, it's not your fault. But when did you Dad start drinking? I don't remember anything about that," Jen said.   
  
"It was sometime after we moved here. I don't know why..."  
  
"...Is your arm alright?" Jen asked. Garu lifted his sleeve, revealing a big, purple spot.   
  
"Just a bruise," he said with a shrug.   
  
"...Thank you, Garu. I'd be missing a few teeth now if you hadn't done that."  
  
"It's alright."  
  
"Garu, I'm sorry. I wish I could've been there for you during this. I'll do all that I can now."  
  
"It's not your fault. Don't worry about it, Jen, it's my problem."  
  
"Than it's my problem, too! If you ever need to talk to someone, than you know who to go to!"   
  
"Thanks, Jen. That means a lot to me..."   
  
"No problem! It's what I'm here for! I only wish I could do more."  
  
"That's more than enough. I don't want you getting involved in this."   
  
"Hey, Garu? Let's just walk around now, and see what we can see, okay?"   
  
"That sounds good, Jen. Let's go."  
  
"Garu, just remember something. I'll always be there for you, okay? No matter what."   
  
"...Yeah, you're right. We'll be best friends forever. It's a promise."  
  
"I won't forget, so you can't either. We promised."  
****************************************************************************  
Jenashu: Ohhh, sadness!!! Poor Garu-san! Now we know why he's so quiet and reserved. Sadness... But hey, the next chapter is all fun and romance, so don't worry about it!  
Yama and Izzy: *anime drop*  
Jenashu: What?...Well, anyway, as always, R&R! 


	15. Fairy Tale Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or Tera or Adrian.  
  
Jenashu: YAY!!! Ball time!!! Yama: .... Izzy: ... Jenashu: ERGH! Guys ruin the mood every time! Anyway, onto chapter 15! Wow! 15 chapters! Be proud, be very proud! **************************************************************************** **** Fairy Tale Night  
  
"Does my hair look good?"  
  
"You don't think I look fat in this, do you?"  
  
"Is this a good shade for me?"  
  
"Do you think this necklace is too gaudy?"  
  
Needless to say, Sora, Lulu, and Jen were fussing over themselves, trying to look as beautiful as possible for the ball, along with every other girl from the WSC.  
  
"How's my hair?"  
  
"Is my tie straight?"  
  
"Oops, I think I've grown since the last time I wore this!"  
  
What do you know! The guys are worried, too!  
  
(A/N: Normally I don't go into detail about what the DDs are wearing, but today I'm going all out!)  
  
Lulu revovled slowly to be critiqued by Jen and Sora. Her dress was extremely frilly and girl-ish, and it was a deep shade of green to match her hair. Jen thought that she looked like a little kid going to church, but she kept it to herself.  
  
Sora's dress was exactly opposite of Lulu's. It was sleek, black, and didn't have much back. She looked to Jen like a teenager on prom night.  
  
Jen sighed. She was the only one who had tried for the 'ballroom' look. Perhaps she dreamed too much, but she had wanted to look like a princess. Her dress was a cheerful shade of lavender, and it was a mixture of naughty and nice with a low collar and princessy frills. She even had a little purple parasel.  
  
"Alright, girls! Let's go get 'em!" Lulu cried. Sora and Jen shared glances and shrugged, deciding not to ask for the specific meaning of that. ****************  
  
"Yama-kun, that's even more hair gel than usual."  
  
"Shut up, Taichi!"  
  
"Excuse me...? Umm, Matt, you're getting hair gel in my comb..."  
  
"This is yours? Eck, do I have red hair mixed with my blonde?"  
  
"No, but can I have my comb?"  
  
"Fine, Koushiro, go do something to impress Jen."  
  
Izzy was a little annoyed with Tai and Matt by the time they were all ready. He didn't think that guys were supposed to be so engrossed with their appearance. All three of them were wearing suits and ties. Izzy looked at his camera, sighed, and put it in his pocket. His mother had asked him to take a picture of him and Jen at the ball. Izzy took a deep breath. He couldn't wait to see his goddess! ***********  
  
When the girls walked down the hallway of the west wing, they meet Tera. She was surronded by her friends. They all stood in a group, chatting excitedly. Jen walked up to her.  
  
"Tera! Oh my gosh! You look SO good!" Jen cried when she saw her friend. "And we both have excellent taste, if I do say so myself," she added when she realized that Tera also had a purple dress. Tera did a quick spin to show off her dark violet, silky dress.  
  
"Yes, we do! It must run in your family," Tera replied with a giggle.  
  
"Does that mean that Tai asked you to the ball?! That's why he was so nervous this morning! That's great!"  
  
"Isn't it? I'm so excited! Do you think Tai will like this?" Tera asked, sounding a little worried.  
  
"You're gorgeous, dahling," Jen said with fervor and a fake Russian accent.  
  
"Thanks. You look good, too. I bet Izzy will die when he sees you!" Tera teased.  
  
"Don't say that!" Jen cried, even though she knew Tera was joking.  
  
"Okay, okay. Look! We're moving!" Tera replied. The long line of girls in the hallway suddenly started to move. *********  
  
"Somehow I feel that we should be going in horse-drawn carriages, not a bus," Jen said with a small frown after about 15 minutes of driving. Thankfully, everyone was too nervous and excited to sing.  
  
"Come on, just see this as the carriage of the 21st century," Sora said from the seat behind her. "Well, jeez, this all couldn't be directly from a story book. Just be glad that your prince is waiting at the castle!"  
  
"You're picking on me," Jen realized. Sora laughed and pointed out the window.  
  
"Check it out! That was quick!" she said. Jen gasped. Sure, the place was more like a mansion than a castle, but still, it was fit for a princess! The peacocks are a nice touch...she thought. The waterfall's pretty cool, too...  
  
It took about 20 buses to get everyone to the mansion, but they all fit comfortably on the parking lot. When Jen finally stepped out of the bus, she felt the night wrap its magic around her, inviting her to discover what fairy tales are made of.  
  
Jen saw a bunch of people coming in on the other side of the building, and she knew that they were the guys. She couldn't make out any faces, though; they were far away and it was getting increasingly dark out. But, she thought to herself, I'll see him soon enough...  
  
As they walked through the marble hallway, the girl's shoes clicked ominously and echoed throughout the mansion. At first, Jen was a little worried. The place was poorly lit, just like the haunted houses they showed on TV. But Jen's fears vanished when two giant doors slowly swung open, revealing a humoungous room.  
  
It was the most beautiful place Jen had ever seen. It was cheerfully lit, and decorated lavishly. The food looked good enough to satisfy even Yaten, the pickiest eater ever. Right in the middle of the dinner sat a golden punch bowl. It was covered with all kinds of imaginary creatures.  
  
Jen stood in the doorway, completely shocked. "Get a move on, Jen! You're blocking everyone!" Mimi hissed in her ear. Jen jumped and hastilly walked away from the door. She looked around for Izzy, but couldn't find him anywhere.  
  
After searching for ten minutes (and watching everyone dancing-Jen was trying to pick up fast so she wouldn't have to admit that she had no clue how to waltz), Jen felt someone grab her arm. Before she even knew who it was, she was being led into the dance.  
  
"Kakeyu! What are you doing?!" Jen demanded when she got a look at her partner. He was expertly manuvering himself so that Jen was forced to follow his movments or trip.  
  
"I just wanted to warn you, bro. Listen up! Don't drink the punch from the golden bowl," he whispered.  
  
"Don't call me bro! I'm not even a guy. And why shouldn't I drink the punch? Is it bad?" Jen asked, feeling very confused. She was getting dizzy from all the spinning.  
  
"Oh, no. It's good. Very, very good," Kakeyu replied, ignoring Jen's first statement.  
  
"Then why shouldn't I-Oh, no Kakeyu, please don't tell me you did what I think you did!" Jen hissed.  
  
"Shh! Do you want us to get kicked out of the WSC?" Kakeyu whispered.  
  
"Hey, you're the one who spiked the punch!" Jen replied quietly.  
  
"Whatever. I did what I was supposed to. See ya. By the way, learn how to dance!" Kakeyu said before releasing Jen's hand and dissapearing into the crowd. Jen stood there in disbelief until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Garu.  
  
"Hey, I was watching you waltz. You dance very...ah, interestingly. I thought I'd show you how to do it properly," Garu offered. After a moment of consideration, Jen nodded. Well, how can I dance with Izzy if I don't even know how? she asked herself.  
  
"Alright, it's like this," Garu said, leading her in the waltz as Kakeyu had. Even though Garu had claimed that this was a friendly, tutorial dance, Jen knew that he was holding her just a little closer than a stranger or friend would have.  
  
"Garu," Jen scolded gently. She felt his body tensen a little.  
  
"I know. I'm trying. But, it's just one dance," he replied with a sad look in his eyes. By the time the song ended, Jen was moving on her own. She released Garu's hand and smiled at him. She nodded in the direction of a bunch of girls who were staring at Garu, pratically drooling.  
  
"Make their day, Garu," she said, patting his uninjured shoulder. Then she ducked into the crowd and continued to search for Izzy. *************  
  
"Tai! Tai!" a feminie voice called. Tai gave a quizical frown and looked around. Suddenly he spotted Tera coming towards him.  
  
"Hello!" he said with a smile. He handed her the cup of punch that he was about to drink. Luckily, he had decided to avoid the crowd around the golden bowl by drinking from a plainer one. She smiled and drained it in two gulps.  
  
"Phew! It's so hot in here!" Tera complained, pulling the collar of her dress a little.  
  
"I know," Tai agreed, looking her over with a smile. Suddenly Tera caught his meaning and turned red.  
  
"You know, I think I saw some balconies around here when we drove past. Let's see if we can find one," Tera said.  
  
"Don't you want to dance?" Tai asked. Tera blushed.  
  
"Well, the truth is...I can't. I don't know how."  
  
"It's alright, I've been watching everyone waltz this whole time! We'll figure it out. And if we don't, I can teach you how the couples at the school dances dance," Tai offered. Tera blushed even more.  
  
"Okay," she agreed, allowing herself to be led into the waltz. **********  
  
"Lulu...? Is...is that you?" Lulu heard someone say from behind her. She spun around so quickly that she tripped in her high heels and crashed against the person's chest.  
  
"Oh! Oh, I'm such a clutz, I'm so sorr-Drellus?!" she said. Sure enough, she found heself staring up into Drell's dark, blue eyes.  
  
"Yeah...You, uh, look nice..." Drellus said, trying not to stumble over his words. "I wanted to know if you'd want to dance..."  
  
"Sure! Yeah! Let's dance! I mean, we are going together, right? Let's show them how it's done!" Lulu cried happily. Drell blushed dark red as he led Lulu into the crowd of dancing couples. **********  
  
Where is he? Jen asked herself with a frown. She had watched all of her friends dancing together. Matt and Sora, Tai and Tera, Lulu and Drellus, and occasionally Garu and a girl. Garu didn't look very happy about the arrangements; most of the girls clung to Garu's injured shoulder, causing him to grimace constantly. Suddenly Jen realized how hot it was, so, with a sigh, she wandered to a door and pulled it open. As she had guessed, it led to a large balcony. Jen turned and locked he doors behind her. She gasped when she realized that a guy was leaning against the railing.  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to intrude!" Jen cried, turning around to leave. The boy turned around quickly when he heard her voice. A cloud rolled by and uncovered the moon, lighting up his face. Jen gasped again. "Izzy?! I was looking all over for you!"  
  
"Sorry," Izzy mumbled as Jen came close and leaned next to him.  
  
"What were you doing out here?" Jen asked.  
  
"Well...it was scorching inside because of all the movement and the number of people," Izzy replied. Jen realized that he wasn't meeting her eyes.  
  
"Izzy, is something wrong?" Jen inquired.  
  
"No." Izzy mumbled quickly.  
  
"Koushiro Izumi, you're lying to me," Jen declaired. Izzy made a small noise that was somewhere between sad and disgruntled. "Izzy, tell me what's wrong," Jen insisted. "I want to help you."  
  
Izzy gave her an extremely hurt look, and it clicked in Jen's mind. "Izzy, are you concerned because Garu and I were dancing?"  
  
"...Yes." Izzy replied after a moment of silence. To his great surprise, Jen's face relaxed and she gave a relieved sigh.  
  
"Oh, good. I thought it was something serious," she said with a smile. Izzy gawked at her.  
  
"This is serious," he said firmly. Jen looked surprised.  
  
"No, it isn't. He was teaching me how to dance because he knows I can't. I didn't want to mess up when I danced with you," she said honestly.  
  
"Really?" Izzy asked hopefully. He wanted to be firmer, but he admitted to himself that he wanted Jen to deny that the dance had had any meaning.  
  
"Yes, really, so you don't have to get all bent out of shape." Jen said, staring intently into Izzy's eyes. She knew that Izzy would be able to see the that she wasn't lying if he looked there.  
  
"...You're right. I'm sorry to have doubted you," Izzy said, sounding ashamed.  
  
"It's alright. I'm sorry I worried you," Jen replied. Izzy looked at her and then at the door.  
  
"Ahh...should we go back?" he asked. Jen gawked at him.  
  
"How come you always want to go into a crowd when we're all alone?" she inquired. Izzy blushed.  
  
"Well, umm, it doesn feel better out here..." he admitted.  
  
"And we can still hear the music," Jen added.  
  
"Umm, I can't waltz," Izzy said. Jen smiled happily.  
  
"See? Now aren't you glad that I learned?" Jen asked. She gently grasped Izzy's hand and stepped away from the railing. She led Izzy into an extremely clumsy waltz. Eventually, they gave up and started slow dancing (A/N: That's the only name I know for it *sweatdrop* I know nothing about dancing). After a while, they gave that up too and gazed at the sky together.  
  
A comfortable silence formed between Jen and Izzy while they huddled together against the cold breeze. Eventually Izzy realized that he had given up on the stars and was looking instead at Jen. He smiled when he thought about how lucky he was to have her pressed against his chest and wrapped up in his arms. Izzy never had any interest in girls until only a year before when Jen had embraced him tightly, thinking that Diaboromon was going to blow them up with a missile. Something just felt so...so right about it, Izzy thought to himself. He chuckled when when he remembered the awkwardness when Jen realized that she was still alive and hugging him.  
  
"What's so funny?" Jen asked, turning her attention to him.  
  
"Remember the time we fought Diaboromon at Tai's house?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You thought you were going to die, so you hugged me, and we were so embarrassed when we realized that we were alive!" Izzy said with a laugh. Jen smiled, but shook her head.  
  
"That's not what I was thinking," she said. Izzy gave her a quizical look.  
  
"I thought that you might be safer if I could shield you," Jen confessed, sounding embarrassed. Izzy blinked at her.  
  
"Thank you," he said after a silence. Jen shook her head.  
  
"Nah, forget about it. It was a long time ago..." Jen said, trailing off.  
  
"You miss being an active Digidestined, don't you? We don't get much action anymore," Izzy realized.  
  
"Yeah, I do miss it..." Jen said with a sad smile. "I guess I should be glad that I got to be a DD at all...But I wish we still got to go into the Digiworld. Now we have to get one of the younger kids to take us with them."  
  
"Speaking of which, I wonder how everyone's faring back in Japan?" Izzy mused.  
  
"The girls were so mad when they found out that I was going!" Jen said with a laugh, referring to the other three Otaku Girls. "I bet Lily and our little Goggle Boy have watched a million videos by now...I think Lily mentioned something about how all the movies Davis picks are stupid, and Davis said most of Lily's are chick flicks. Indy and Ryn probably had a party to make themselves feel better."  
  
"That's a good idea. We'll have to have some kind of party with everyone when we get home."  
  
"Any excuse to have a party is a good one!" Jen agreed. "But let's not worry about that just now. Right now we're in Paris, and we're living a fairy tale. And, we haven't been alone for almost a week now."  
  
Izzy metally counted the days since he and Jen had been on the beach. It had been six days ago...That was a while. "It's alright. I imagine that when we get home, we'll be alone together more frequently," he said.  
  
"I hope so," Jen replied, turning around in Izzy's arms to face him. She rested her head against his shoulder. Izzy smiled and gently stroked her long hair, starting from her head and working his way down her back. "You like to play with my hair, don't you?" Jen asked, sounding amused.  
  
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Izzy replied. He blushed when he felt Jen's lips and toungue brush against his neck.  
  
"You taste very clean. Kind of like soap," Jen mused.  
  
"Is...is that good?" Izzy asked.  
  
"I like it." Jen replied, sounding lazy and happy. She continued her little quest to find the tasts of Izzy's skin until she reached his lips. Izzy was pleased to respond to her passionate kiss with one of his own. ************ "Tai, I really don't think we're doing this right....And I think I need to stop for a minute anyway," Tera said as she and Tai danced. "I'm dizzy."  
  
"Alright," Tai agreed. They worked their way through the crowd and stood next to an open window. "Whew, that breeze feels good."  
  
"It does," Tera said, leaning against the window sill. Her high heels twisted below her feet, causing her to lose her balace. "Yeek!"  
  
"Gotcha!" Tai exclaimed, grabbing Tera's shoulder to keep her from falling through the window. "High heels are dangerous, huh?" he said with a relieved laugh when he was sure that Tera was safe.  
  
"Yeah...thanks, Tai," Tera said.  
  
"Ah, no biggie," Tai replied offhandedly. After a moment of silence, he spoke up again. "So, I guess you're going back to America when this is over, huh?"  
  
"Yes...I do live there, after all..." Tera said, looking depressed.  
  
"So...I guess I'll never see you again..." Tai replied. Are there tears in his eyes? Tera wondered.  
  
"Well...you never know..." Tera said. "This is going to sound crazy, but...I can go to another dimension and come out anywhere I want! As long as there's a computer, that is." Tai gawked at her before slowly pulling his Digivice out of his pocket.  
  
"Does this look familiar?" he asked. Tera's eyes popped.  
  
"Yes! I have one of those!" she exclaimed.  
  
"You're a DD too! That's great! That means I can see you in the Digiworld!" Tai said, sounding euphoric. "I was worried that I would never be able to do this again."  
  
"Do what?" Tera asked curiously. Tai leaned forward and gently kissed her in reply.  
  
"Listen, Tera...I know we haven't been together long, but...I think I'm in love with you," Tai confessed. Tera blinked at him.  
  
"Really?" she asked, reaching up to touch her lips. They were warm from Tai's breath.  
  
"Yeah," Tai replied, looking embarrassed.  
  
"I...I'm glad. Because I think...no, I know...that I'm in love with you, too," Tera replied. Taichi looked like he had just been made president.  
  
"You know...this whole DD thing has even more perks than I thought," he said, reaching up to touch Tera's red face.  
  
(A/N: Awww...isn't dat cuuute?) *********************  
  
When everyone was out of their dresses and siuts and in their pajamas, they were supposed to sleep. However, they were all gossiping.  
  
"I can't wait to see the pcitures that Izzy took," Jen said.  
  
"I've got a boyfriend! I've got a boyfriend!" Lulu cried happily.  
  
Sora just hiccuped. Jen realized that Kakeyu must not have warned her about the punch. Suddenly the phone rang, and Jen picked it up.  
  
"Hello? Oh, hi Tera! Tell me all about what happened..." ****************  
  
"Tai? What do you look so pleased about?" Matt asked while he stared at the ceiling from his bed.  
  
"Nothing, nothing," Tai said happily.  
  
"I don't believe you," Izzy stated sleepily.  
  
"Fine. Tera's a DD, so I can see her in the Digiworld!" Tai exclaimed.  
  
"Which means that she's your girlfriend now," Matt concluded. Tai sighed happily.  
  
"That's about the size of it, Yama. Good night," he said, pulling up the covers. He drifted into sleep as soon as hit head hit the pillow. **************************************************************************** * Jenashu: YAY!!!! CUTENESS!!!! Izzy: Calm down... Jenashu: Uh oh... Izzy: What's wrong? Jenashu: What's the next chapter going to be about? Yama: ... ... Jenashu: Eek! Help me! 


	16. Letters From Home Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Tera belongs to Tiger Lily, Adrian and Indy belong to Little Indigo, Ryn belongs to Ryn, and Lily belongs to Lily- Chan. Yay!  
  
Jenashu: Hello, hello! I very much enjoyed being in Florida for two weeks! But now I'm baaaack and I'm writing! Yippie! Yama: Oh boy. Izzy: Matt, I heard that you and Tai had a party in Jen's house while we were away. Yama: Gulp... Jenashu: YAMA!!!!!!! **************************************************************************** ** Letters From Home Part 1  
  
"Well, everyone, I took the liberty of fetching your mail today," Kakeyu said with a bow. He tossed everyone a bundle of letters. "How they know what country we're in is beyond me, but...Here's to Germany!"  
  
"Hey, thanks Kakeyu!" Jen said. She was surprised that he would go out of his way for anyone.  
  
"Yeah, well, don't get used to it. You have way too many letters for me to get them again. Oh well, at least I didn't have to get all that fanmail. I guess they can't keep up with where I am," Kakeyu replied with a laugh, referring to the thousands of girls who hounded him. There was a short period of silence while everyone opened their first letter and began to read.  
  
"Hey, what do you know...Ken sent me a letter," Izzy mumbled. Jen peeked over his shoulder.  
  
"That's nice. I don't think he likes me at all," she said with a sigh. "We had a big row over the whole you-tried-to-destroy-the-Digiworld thing."  
  
"Give him some time. He's probably too ashamed to look you in the eye. Now he agrees with you," Izzy said. Jen sighed again and picked up a letter. She immediately recongnized Lily's untidy scrawl.  
  
"Cool!" she said happily. "I've got one from Lily-chan. How about everyone else?"  
  
"Fanmail," The Teenage Wolves answered as one. "They really are persistant! How do they know where we are?" Matt asked.  
  
"The internet, of course," Izzy responded.  
  
"Yeah, whatever. What have you got, Tai?"  
  
"It's from Kari. I've got some from Mom and Davis as well. Sora?"  
  
"My parents and some girls from my tennis team that didn't make it. Oh, Yolei, too."  
  
"I've got lots from Yolei. Look! A letter from Joe!" Mimi cried. Suddenly everyone noticed that Tera and Garu hadn't said a word.  
  
"How about you, Garu?" Jen asked. Garu flinched and looked away.  
  
"It's nothing," he said, clenching some letters in his fist. Jen saw that most of them were adressed from his mother and some friends he had talked about. One or two of them read "Mr.Sayoe". Jen nodded at him in understanding. She hoped that his father wasn't insulting or threatening him.  
  
There was a slight pause. Finally, Tai cleared his throat. "What have you got, Tera?" he asked. He looked over his shoulder to read it, but Tera blocked it from his view.  
  
"It's not important!" she said, looking at the floor. Matt came up from her other side and read the first few words, which were in his sight.  
  
"My dearest Tera...?" he read, giving Tai a sly look. Tai stared blankly back at him. Tera jumped and held the letter against her chest, causing the envelope to fall in front of her, showing the return adress. It was a boy named Brian Valin from America. Matt looked a little confused. "You didn't write this, Tai?" he whispered to his friend.  
  
"No," Tai replied, giving him a bewildered look. No everyone was staring at Tera. After an extremely tense moment, she stood up and shot out of the room. *************  
  
"My dearest Tera,  
  
I haven't seen you for almost two months now, and I feel an ache in my heart whenever I think of you. When I said good-bye to you, I didn't know that I was making a terrible mistake. Every moment without you brings me more and more pain. They say that you never realize how much you love someone until they're gone, and it's true. I need you in my life again. When you come home, I want to be with you again. I beg you to consider these words before you cast me aside forever. Please give me another chance to be with you, Tera. I miss you.  
  
Love always, Valin" Tera stared blankly down at the letter from her ex-boyfried. He had ended their relationship, saying that he didn't think that she was the girl that he could spend forever with. And now he was saying just the opposite. Tera took a deep breath as all the memories they had made came flooding back to her. They were all good times, except that bitter moment when they parted ways. Her heart ached when she remembered what his kiss tasted like. She remembered how crushed she had been after Brian broke up with her. I...I really was in love with him...Tera realized.  
  
A timid knock on the door derailed her train of thought. "C-come in," Tera called. She gave a little gasp when Taichi walked into the room.  
  
"No Crystal?" he asked, looking catiously around.  
  
"No..." Tera said. Tai stared at her for a moment before sitting down next to her on the bed.  
  
"Who sent you that letter?" he asked. Tera looked in his eyes and shivered. There was too much hurt in them for her to stand.  
  
"My...my ex," she replied.  
  
"Oh...What did he want?" Tai asked, knowing that he would hear what he feared.  
  
"He wants to try again," Tera said softly. Tera knew that Tai was extremely brave, but now his hands were shaking.  
  
"But...but you're going to tell him no, right?" he said hopefully.  
  
Tera was silent for a long time. She was in love with two people; she knew one of them much better, but he had hurt her. The other one had only tried to please her. She didn't know what to say. ********  
  
"Hi Jen!  
  
Guess what? Davis asked me out on our first real date ever! Sure, we've watched a lot of movies and stuff at my house, but that doesn't really count. But this does!"  
  
Alright! Good for you, Lily! Jen thought. I'm glad you've finally managed to completely win him over! When she was finished, she ripped open another.  
  
"Dear Jenny,  
  
Hey, what's up? Have you heard yet? Lily's all excited because Davis is taking her the school dance. I think she mentioned something about dinner, too. Lucky Lily! I still don't have the nerve to tell the guy I like that I like him!"  
  
Oh, Ryn...Jen thought with a smile. She read the rest of her letter and opened another.  
  
"Hey Jen,  
  
How's it going? I'm glad to hear that you didn't barf all over the stage during your preformance. No, seriously, I'm glad you won. Anyway, how's it going? How was that ball that you mentioned? Tell me, is it possible to dance with someone that's 3/4 of your size?"  
  
Indy, you're so cruel! Jen said to herself with a laugh. I hope everyone else is getting great letters like these! *************  
  
"You're so cute! I love you! Hahaha, these are rich!" Kakeyu laughed while he read over Mitz's shoulder.  
  
"Hey, at least she has taste," Mitz said indignitly, clutching his letter.  
  
"I don't think Andrew is a girl's name, bro," Kakeyu replied, laughing hysterically. He pointed to the last line that read "Love, Andrew". Mitz stared at the letter before slowly ripping it in two.  
  
"I hate getting all these letters from my siblings," Adrian complained. "They all say the same things over and over..."  
  
"What are they saying?" Mitz asked.  
  
"Mostly, "You have that picture of Dad with you, right? If you see him anywhere, bring him home!" Ha! This picture is years old! He's probably grey by now. Who cares, anyway?" Adrian said bitterly. Mitz patted his shoulder comfortingly.  
  
"Is that supposed to help?" he asked irritably. Mitz sighed and turned away, looking hurt.  
  
Yaten made a show of ripping open a letter, looking at it for a moment, and throwing it away. "Why didn't you read it?" Matt asked. Yaten smiled.  
  
"She wasn't hot," he replied. Matt stared at him.  
  
"You could tell?"  
  
"Oh yes. Simply by looking at their handwriting. Give me that letter you ripped, Mitz. Thanks. Oh, man..."  
  
"Don't tell me," Matt requested. Yaten smiled.  
  
"Yup, he's hot," he said, throwing the letter back at Mitz. ***********  
  
"Tera!" Tai said. There was a definate begging sound in his voice. Tera looked at him and realized that she could never feel for Brian what she felt for him.  
  
"Yes, Tai...I'm going to tell him no," Tera answered. Tai's body slumped over in relief.  
  
"Really?" he asked.  
  
"Of course! He hurt me, Tai. I don't want that to happen again," Tera said sadly. Tai gently stroked her face.  
  
"Don't worry," he whispered, leaning close to her, "it won't." Tera was about to say something else, but before she could, Tai cut her off with a kiss. **************************************************************************** * Jenashu: Short, I know. But I need to get back into my groove. Yama: ... ... ... Izzy: Anyway, next chapter is part two, right? Jenashu: Oh, yeah! The next chapter is about the Otaku Girls, who I left in Japan! BTW, did you know that the four of us (Indy, Ryn, Lily, and I) share a penname? We write stories together. Check us out at OtakuGirls! Sayonara! 


	17. Letters From Home Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or Zoids. Also, I don't own Ryn, Tera, Adrian, Indy, or Lily-Chan. For more info on who owns those characters, please consult Agumon's little...camio thing at the end of this chapter.  
  
Jenashu: Hello! Hello! This chapter is the one dedicated to the Otaku Girls, who are stuck in Japan while I tour the world! I know it's been forever, but I my bro got a great game and I've been playing it (as much as he lets me). Umm, this is mostly Lily and Daisuke, but the others are here too...Kind of short, but...I think I'll end the story soon.  
******************************************************************************  
Letters From Home Part 2  
  
Davis stood near a bowl of fowl, green-colored punch, sipping it through pursed lips while he wondered what it possibly could be. Whatever it was, it was way nasty. Suddenly, something squeezed him hard around the middle from behind, causing him to spit out his mouthful of juice.   
  
"Oh! I'm sorry, Dai-Chan!" Lily cried. "I just wanted to surprise you." Davis turned around in her arms and looked down at her. His face lit up. The Goggle Boy returned her rib-crushing embrace before gently tugging a lock of her hair. It was a perfect blend of yellow and brown (or was it brown and yellow? Davis always liked to amuse himself with this thought).   
  
"That's okay! It's not like that stuff was any good," Davis said matter-of-factly. He whiped the green off of his lips. Lily giggled.   
  
"I'll help!" she volunteered. Lily leaned forward and gave Davis a quick kiss before pulling back, her face red. Davis gave her a questionate look before launching a passionate assult on her lips.   
  
"Hey, if you two don't cut that out, some teacher's gonna suspend you!" a familiar voice called slyly.   
  
"Yeah, no one wants to watch you guys make out," another voice said matter-of-factly. Davis turned his head to look at the offenders. Bit and Ryn stood side-by-side. It was always funny to see Bit towering over Ryn in her glasses and bright brown eyes and hair.   
  
"Uh, yeah," Davis said, sounding annoyed at the interruption. Lily just stood there, looking astonished at her luck.   
  
"Hey, Lily, if you don't close it, something's gonna fly in," Bit teased. He put a finger under her chin and pushed up to close her gaping mouth.   
  
"Fly's don't taste so bad," Davis said, causing his friends to stare at him. "Jun gave me chocolate-covered flys once and told me that they were peanuts," he added with a shrug. To take the attention off of her boyfriend's odd comment, Lily said,  
  
"Hey, where's Indy?"   
  
"Last I saw, she was flirting with the DJ," Bit said with a shrug. He pointed towards the speakers. Lily looked over and saw Indy leaning against the DJ's table and talking to him. The DJ kept smiling and nodding.   
  
"Looks happy, huh?" Ryn noted, sounding amused.   
  
"The DJ or Indy?" Lily asked. Everyone laughed and Ryn made a mental note to tease Indy about her bishie problem.   
*******  
  
"Mickey, can you play a song for me? Please?" Indy asked, looking up into the teenage boy's eyes.   
  
"For you? Anything!" Mickey replied with a laugh, showing off as many of his dazzlingly white teeth as he could. His smile made Indy's head spin. Suddenly, she was pulled off of Planet Indy and back to Earth when she heard sniggering. She turned to see her friends looking in her direction and giggling or laughing. Indy frowned and made a mental note to get back at them later.   
*******  
  
Davis' stomach grumbled. "I can't stand the junk they have sitting out here. C'mon Lily, let's go, I'm starved!" he complained. Lily looked confused.   
  
"But it's so ear- oh!" she said, suddenly remembering Davis saying something about going out to dinner. "Umm, ok, let's go."   
  
But before they left, Lily shot Ryn a help-what-should-I-do look. Ryn smiled and shook her head. Figure it out yourself, hon, she thought as she watched them leave.  
  
"Okay, Bit...you ready?"  
*******  
  
"Umm, I'll have whatever you're having," Lily said quietly. Her nerves were so rattled by the prospect of dating Daisuke that she couldn't think properly. Davis shrugged and ordered for the two of them.   
  
Unbeknowest to the young couple, another dynamic duo sat hiding in a booth. Between the stained glass that seperated the booths, Ryn focused Tai's mini telescope. She had 'borrowed' it from him, figuring that he was away, and what he didn't know couldn't hurt him (or her). At any rate, she had something to help her out in her mission; make Lily and Davis' date more...memorable.  
  
  
"Alright...what first?" Bit whispered to Ryn.   
  
"If only I could get the two of them to leave the booth!" Ryn complained, clutching a bunch of salt packets that she had taken from a fast food joint.   
  
"That won't be a problem," Bit said with a toothy grin. He cleared his throat and disguised his voice, saying loudly, "I'm bored. I'm going to get a peg-game from the counter."   
  
"Hey!" Davis said. "They have peg-games here?!" with that he grabbed Lily's wrist and pulled her towards the counter.   
  
"Score!" Bit said while he watched Ryn. She stuck her hands through the gap between the glass and the booth and groped for something. A moment later, she pulled her arms back through, grasping a salt shaker and sugar packets. With a grin, she emptied the salt and poured in the sugar from the packets. Then she stuck her hand back in the gap and dropped the salt (sugar) shaker and the sugar packets.  
  
"Let's finish," Bit said, sniggering.   
******  
  
Sigh...Davis thought. What a disaster. Even I don't confuse salt and sugar! What kind of idiot did th-oh man! "Er, before we go, I have to use the bathroom," Davis said. He dashed towards the men's room. A moment later, Lily heard a shout.   
  
"ARRRRGH!"   
  
Lily ran to Davis. "What's wrong?" she asked. He pointed at the door to the men's room. A peice of paper was taped to it that read: Out of order.   
  
"Er...If it's that bad, I guess you could use the ladies' room..." Lily suggested timidly.   
  
"NO WAY!" Davis shouted.   
******  
  
"That was kid stuff. My ideas were better," Bit said with a sigh.   
  
"Oh, come on, have some pity on them," Ryn said, smiling happily.   
  
"Yeah, whatever..."   
******  
  
"Lily, I'm sorry things didn't go better tonight," Davis said with a sigh when the two of them had reached Lily's apartment complex. "I wanted it to be perfect..." Lily stared at him a moment before smiling shyly.   
  
"But it was perfect, Dai-chan. We were together, weren't we?" she said. Davis looked at her and blinked a few times.   
  
"Yeah...I guess you're right..."  
****************************************************************************  
Jenashu: Okay, next chapter: The End, where the DDs reach the end of the WSC! Then, Secret Plans, and finally, Home at Last. So, that makes an even 20 chapters! Whoo hoo! 


	18. The Winners

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, the Miss America pageant, or Tera, or Adrian! So don't even think about sueing me! Besides, you wouldn't get much!  
  
Jenashu: Hehe, sorry about my absence, everyone. School kinda occupied my time. But hey, at least I learned a lot already about writing, so my ficcies should be even better! ~.^  
Yama: Only three chapters left, Jen?  
Jenashu: Yup. But don't be sad. There are 18 more stories for my fans to read!  
Izzy: I want to read Digi Interview.  
Jenashu: Uhh, I'm working on it? Anyways, on to the chapter, everyone! Enjoy!  
******************************************************************************  
The Winners  
  
"Has anyone been keeping track of the score?" was the constant question on everyone lips at the time. The last challenge of the WSC was over and scored. There were no more chances for miracles. Every point was currently being counted by every student from every nation. No one seemed to know for sure just how many points their school had been awarded. Except...  
  
"IZZY! You're kidding me! You know how many points we have!?" Matt demanded of his friend. Izzy swelled with pride.   
  
"Yes, of course," he said. With that, he pulled out a small pad of paper from his pocket and held it up. The scores of that the Japanease had been awarded were written across it in Izzy's tidy handwritting. "And," he added, now positively bursting with happiness at the euphoric look etched across Jen's face, "I've also been keeping track of everyone else's scores." Izzy lifted the first few papers, revealing page after page of figures. "The final information is on my laptop."  
  
Sora buried her face in her hands. "I'm afraid to look," she stated. Then her hands dropped to her lap. "But I gotta know!"  
  
Jen threw her arms around Izzy's thin body. "You're going to tell us now, right?" she asked.   
  
"Well, I could just make you wait," Izzy said with a grin. Tai frowned up at him from his seat on the floor.   
  
"That cutesy stuff may work on my cousin, but if you don't tell the rest of us the results now, you're toast!" he exclaimed, raising a fist threateningly. The Teenage Wolves nodded in consent.  
  
Izzy's muscles tensened. Jen felt the sudden change and smiled. Izzy was taking Tai's threat seriously, but Jen knew better. She sat down on the floor and pulled Izzy down with her, wrapping her arms even more possessively around his small frame. "You'll have to get through me first, Tai!" she teased.   
  
Just as Jen had expected, Izzy grew more tense than before. "I don't think that's nessissary!" he said, sounding paniced. Tai and Matt exchanged short glances before laughing. Izzy blinked in a confused sort of way.  
  
"You're so easy to tease!" Jen exclaimed as everyone else caught on to the joke. Izzy heaved a great sigh of relief before leaning back against Jen. He tilted his back to look at her and gave her a mock frown.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Enough touchy-feely stuff, you two. Just tell us who won already!" Yaten said. Izzy frowned. He looked away from the others, as if he didn't want to tell them.   
  
"Spit it out!" Matt demanded. Everyone sat staring at the little redhead. Suddenly, a voice from the loudspeakers boomed throughout the room.   
  
"All students please report to the auditorium," the voice said. Izzy somehow managed to pry himself out of Jen's embrace. A moment later he was lost in the shuffle of students.  
  
Yaten frowned. "I'm going to have some choice words with that nymph later," he said. Jen glared at him before dissapearing into the crowd as Izzy had.   
***************   
  
Jen practically jumped out of her skin when she felt someone grab her arm. She turned around, expecting to see a tall bully of some sort, only to find her mild-mannered Izzy. "There you are! Why did you run off like that?" she asked. "Weren't you comfy?"  
  
Izzy sighed. "Oh, yes," he said softly as he took a seat in the auiditorium. He gently pulled Jen into the seat beside him. "But...you may recollect that incident with the French students a while back?"  
  
"How could I forget?" Jen asked with a frown. "That was the day you almost got pounded." Izzy nodded in acceptance of the reprive. He leaned over to whisper in Jen's ear.  
  
"Well, we've already been accused of foul play. If all the Japanease students pranced around telling everyone that they knew who won, then there would be pandamoniom!"   
  
Jen tilted her head and considered Izzy's message. It made sense to her. "Couldn't you have just pointed that out to everyone?"  
  
Izzy snorted. "With the Teenage Wolves around, it wouldn't have made any difference."  
  
"I guess you're right," Jen said with a smile. "Now, aren't you going to tell me?"   
  
"Hmm, I already informed you that you were obliged to wait," Izzy replied with an innocent smile. Jen stared at him in disbelief.   
  
"No fair!" she said, frowning at him. "I thought that was a joke!"  
  
"Negative!" Izzy responded with a grin. Jen's jaw dropped.  
  
"But! But!" she sputtered. "You're just teasing me!"  
  
"Folly not!"   
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
"Not so!"  
  
"This is cruel!"  
  
"You two love birds are arguing?!"   
  
"Huh?"   
  
Jen and Izzy turned around to see Tera, Mimi, and Michael sitting behind them. Mimi gave them an innocent look. "Whatcha arguing over?" she asked.   
  
"Izzy knows-" Jen started. Izzy cut her off by covering her mouth with his hand. He laughed in a would-be casual way that nobody bought.  
  
"What does Izzy know, Jen?" Tera asked. Jen sighed and shrugged.   
  
"It's nothing. I'll straighten him out later," she said, giving Izzy a mock frown. Izzy knew that look. He blushed and turned back around to face the stage. He realized with a start that someone was standing at the podium. He prodded Jen to make her turn around.  
  
"I know that all of you are awaiting the results of the WSC," the man said, "and you will know who won in just a moment." Everyone held their breath as the man ripped open an envelope.  
  
"Now I know what it's like to be in a Miss America pageant," Jen whispered to Izzy. He gave her a small smile. The man seemed to be struggling to pull the paper out. He squinted at it as if he couldn't read what it said.  
  
"...The country who scored the most points, the winner, is...JAPAN!"   
  
Jen sat frozen in her seat. The next thing she knew, Izzy's arms were wrapped tightly around her. He pulled her up and led her to the stage, where all the other Japanease students were lining up. The rest of it became a blur as tears stung at her eyes. "I don't believe it," she whispered into Izzy's hair. "You just didn't want to spoil the surprise. I don't believe we won, Izzy..."  
****************  
  
"Well," Matt said while he tuned his guitar, "I guess it's home sweet home for us."   
  
"Yeah," Tai replied. He smiled sadly. Clearly, the day had been bittersweet for him. He had won, but he would be leaving his girl. Izzy, however, was completely contented. He looked up and realized that he was supposed to be meeting Jen in a few minutes downstairs to go on a little walk. He bade farewell to Matt and Tai and started out.  
  
Izzy had no sooner stepped out into the hallway when his cellphone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket. "Hello? Izzy Izumi speaking," he spoke into the receiver.  
  
"Izzy? It's Kari..."  
****************************************************************************  
Jen: *whipes her eyes*   
Izzy: What's wrong?  
Jen: It really is bittersweet! I'm so happy that the story's almost over-and so sad at the same time!  
Izzy: Aww, poor Jen *sweatdrop*  
Yama: HA! WE WON! TAKE THAT AND STUFF IT!!!!!!  
Jen: Yes! Bye bye! See you next chapter, where we find out why Kari's calling Izzy! And it's probably NOT because she lost Tai's number! 


	19. Secret Plans

Disclaimer: As I've pointed out for the billionth time now, I do not own Digimon! Or Tera! Or Adrian! Heck, I technically don't even own myself yet! Of course, that's technically!  
  
Jenashu: *sigh*  
Izzy: Depressed?  
Jenashu: Yeah, only two chapters left...  
Izzy: That's good though! You can focus on your other fics!  
Jenashu: I guess... But it's still kinda depressing...  
Izzy: *sweatdrop* Poor Jen.  
Yama: ...Well, I guess I should start the fic then. Rejoice people, only two chapters left!  
******************************************************************************  
Secret Plans  
  
Jen felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump. "Don't do that!" she snapped at the offender.   
  
"Whoa, no need to bite my head off!" Matt replied with a frown. Then he lightened up. "Hey, have you noticed? Izzy's acting all secretive. Or is it just my imagination?" Jen's eyes widened.  
  
"So I'm not parinoid!" she exclaimed.   
  
"I wouldn't be so sure," Matt answered, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, you think he's been acting weird too?"  
  
"Yeah! He's been avoiding me," Jen said with a scowl. Clearly, she didn't appriciate that. Matt frowned and scrunched up his face in thought.  
  
"I dunno what's up," he admitted. "You don't think it's serious, do you?"  
  
"No, he would have talked to me by now if it was serious. I think that he just has some kind of secret or something. He'll tell me eventually," Jen said with more confidence than she felt. Matt sighed.   
  
"Well, we're leaving tomorrow. Make sure Sora doesn't stay up too late. We're getting up with the sun again," he said. Jen frowned darkly.   
  
"I hate waking up early," she mumbled before walking to her room to get ready for bed.  
****************  
  
"WAKE UP ALREADY!"   
  
Jen groaned and opened her eyes slowly. A pillow made contact with her head. "Lulu! I'm awake, I'm awake!" she said, abruptly sitting up.  
  
"I swear, I need an army to wake you up!" Lulu complained. She had her socks in her hands. "Come on, we're going home today," she added, placing them into her suitcase.   
  
"Home!" Jen cried happily. She got out of bed and hurried to get ready.  
***************  
  
Two hours later, everyone was at the airport, about to get on different planes. There was a very depressing feeling in the air as students said their goodbyes. Jen sat alone in the terminal while everyone else went to buy a book or some snacks or to say goodbye to whomever they had met. Suddenly Jen wasn't alone.   
  
"Garu," Jen said with a sigh when she saw who was sitting beside her, "I guess this is goodbye, pally." Garu nodded and smiled ruefully.  
  
"Maybe we'll see each other again some day," he said, his deep voice barely above a whisper.  
  
"Didn't you say that you were coming back to Japan?" Jen asked.   
  
"Yeah, but who knows when? And my Dad might change his mind. He was probably drunk when he said we were moving back, anyway," Garu said bitterly. Jen patted his shoulder since she couldn't think of any words to comfort him. Just then, a boy passed by and said something in rapid French.  
  
"I've got to go," Garu said sadly. He stood up slowly and opened his arms to Jen. After a moment's hesitation, she stepped into his rib-crushing embrace. Jen twitched when she heard Garu inhaling the soft scent of her raspberry shampoo. It was then that she felt a tear drop onto her forehead and slowly work its way down her face. Just a single, bitter teardrop.  
  
"Stop it," Jen muttered, "stop crying. You'll make me cry, too." Garu let go of her and swiftly turned away.  
  
"Sorry," he said shakily before taking a step forward. Jen caught his arm.  
  
"Bye bye," she said.   
  
"See ya," Garu replied. Once again he walked away without looking back.  
**************  
  
Tera had an open book one her lap, but she couldn't concentrate on it at all. She had no clue where Tai was, and she was about to leave. The girl gave a depressed sigh and tilted her head back, closing her eyes tightly. When she opened them, she gave a startled gasp. Leaning over her was none other than Tai.  
  
"Hey," he said before kissing her forehead. Tera smiled in relief.   
  
"I was afraid I wouldn't get to say goodbye," she said. Tai sat down next to her.   
  
"Chill out, Tera, I'm here," he said. Tera snuggled against him.   
  
"I'll see you soon. How about meeting me in the Digiworld next week? Maybe Sunday?" she suggested. Tai nodded.  
  
"I'll be there. And I'll wait all day for you," he replied.   
  
"Guess I'll be there early, then," Tera said. Suddenly, tears pricked at her eyes. "It won't be the same!" she cried.  
  
"Tera..." Tai started. The people around them started boarding the plane. Tera wiggled out of Tai's embrace and stood up. "Wait! You never did tell me why you fainted in the closet."  
  
"I'm claustraphobic," Tera called over her shoulder. Tai ran after her and pulled her close.  
  
"I'll protect you," he whispered. Then he was pushed aside in the shuffle. "Always! Just call for me!" he shouted.  
*********************  
  
Izzy didn't say a word throughout the whole flight. Not when Kakeyu knocked his drink on his lap while he walked towards the bathroom. Not when Matt hit him with a paper football. Not even when Jen tried to spark a coversation with him. He just seemed to be in deep thought.  
  
This is terrible! Izzy thought. I can think of anything that won't make them suspicious! Jen noticed a minute later that Izzy's manner had turned from thoughtful to panicked.  
  
"Hey everyone," Tai started when they had finally gotten off the plane, "I need to work off some depression here. Let's have a little party at my house. Nothing big, just a little thing. Our parents aren't expecting us until later, anyway. Our flights left early."  
  
"Tell me about it," Jen said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  
  
"That's prodigious!" Izzy cried. He looked relieved. "Let's do that!"  
  
Nobody was against it, so they all hopped onto the school bus that was at the airport and got off at Tai's apartment complex.   
  
"Finally home," Tai mumbled as he fit his key into the door.  
****************************************************************************  
Jen: Only one more chapter! Just one! Can you believe it?!  
Yama: Nope.  
Jen: YAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're so cruel!  
Yama: It's a minor miracle, Jen! You never finish fics!  
Jen: ... *whacks Yama with a fan*   
Izzy: Uhh...*dodges* Watch your aim, Jen! See you guys next chapter, alright? It'll be prodigious! 


	20. Home at Last

Disclaimer: For the twentieth time, I don't own the Otaku Girls or Adrian. Go Adrian!!!!! Oh, I don't own Digimon either or Zoids...bummer...  
  
Jenashu: Day is done, people.  
Yama: YES!!! No more!!! It's FINALLY over! Rejoice!  
Jenashu: *sniff* You're so cruel to me Yama! I'm going to sick Izzy on you! ATTACK!  
Izzy: *sweatdrop* Well, on...  
Jen: NO!!! Last chapter!!! Must say it!!! ON TO THE STORY!!!! ENJOY!!! IT ALL ENDS HERE!!!  
Yama: HALLELUJAH!!!!!  
******************************************************************************  
Home at Last  
  
When Tai swung the door open, he stepped inside his dark, quiet apartment. He reached over to turn the light on and gave a startled gasp.   
  
"SUPRISE!"  
  
Matt, Tai, Sora, and Jen stared in astonishment around Tai's living room. Kari, TK, Joe, Cody, Davis, Ken, Yolei, Lily, Ryn, Indy, and Bit were all waving and smiling at them. They had popped out of random hiding places and were hugging the older Digidestineds.  
  
"Izzy," Kari said before giving the redhead a friendly hug, "I'm so impressed! How did you manage to get them here? And they all looked so suprised!"  
  
Izzy laughed and smiled modestly. "Actually, Tai inadvertantly fabricated the plot. I pondered the quandry throughout our aviation, but I was unable to devise a plot that would not make the others skeptical. Thankfully, Tai purposed progessing to his residence." (A/N: I got out my thesaurus^^)  
  
At the blank look on the faces of just about everyone in the room, Ken cleared his throat. "He said that he was thinking about how to get everyone to Tai's house (during the plane ride) without making them suspicious. Tai asked everyone to come here, and that's where they are."  
  
"Ohhhhh!!!" Davis exclaimed. "Why didn't ya say so, Izzy?"  
  
"You misinterpreted," Izzy said with a frown. "That's precisely what I-"   
  
Matt covered his mouth. "Look Izzy, there's good food here, good friends, and we're ready to party. So do us a favor and shut up." Izzy gave him a hurt look and walked back to Jen like a puppy with its tail trodden on. Joe looked at him and started laughing. Soon everyone had joined in except Izzy. Jen pulled him close and tickled his ribs, forcing him to laugh. Eventually Tai and Matt got his shoes off and tickled his feet. It didn't take long for Davis to start tickling his stomach. Soon tears where coming out of Izzy's eyes!  
  
"Well that's not very nice, you guys," a familiar voice said. When he saw who it was, Tai fell over in suprise, causing everyone to fall on top of Izzy.   
  
"OWW!!! Why am I always situated at the base of the heap?!" Izzy complained. Tai squirmed out of the pile and ran towards his bedroom door.   
  
"TERA!" he shouted. "How did you know which Digi Port led to my computer?!"   
  
"A little Dinomon told me," she replied with a giggle. Agumon, Gabumon, Kittenmon, Galemon, Biyomon, Tentomon, and Gomamon walked out of the bedroom from behind her.   
  
"That's great!" Tai said happily. He gave Tera a hug, causing the younger DDs and Joe to stare at him in suprise.  
  
"That's Tera?" Kari asked. Tai nodded with a goofy smile. "And that's her Digimon?" she added, pointing at Kittenmon. Here Tera nodded. "And she's a DD?" This time both Tai and Tera nodded.   
  
"Thankfully," Tai added as he stroked Tera's face. Izzy cleared his throat loudly.   
  
"Everyone? Please remove yourself from my spinal cord!" he demanded.   
  
"OH!" Jen said with a laugh. She hadn't realized that she was lying directly on top of him. "Get offa me, Matt and Davis!"  
  
Once they were all off the floor, introductions were made for Tera's benefit. All the girls started to gossip and the guys talked (A/N: Gossiping for girls is the same thing as talking for boys, I don't care what you say! Let's just say they're schoozing) about the WSC. Eventually...  
  
"TWISTER!" Yolei shouted at the top of her lungs.  
  
"STRIP POLKER!" Davis countered.   
  
"STRIP HANGMAN!" Matt added loudly.   
  
"TRUTH OR DARE!" Sora brayed.  
  
"KAREOKE!" Jen hollored.   
  
"GREAT IDEA!" Kakeyu exclaimed as he walked through the door. "How dare you party without us!"  
  
"God! What are you guys doing here?" Matt groaned. Yaten smiled.   
  
"We were hanging out at my place and decided to call you, but no one picked up the phone, and when I heard 'strip polker' we all came down," he explained.   
  
"That's right!" Matt said, smacking his forehead. "Yaten lives a floor up."  
  
"Unfortunately," Tai confirmed.   
  
"Anyways, let's have that kareoke machine, Adrian!" Kakeyu said. Adrian and Mitz came panting through the door, carrying what appeared to be a heavy black kareoke machine.  
  
"You guys are prepared for anything," TK said in suprise.   
  
"Yup!" Kakeyu replied, rubbing his hands together excitedly.   
  
"Who's going first?" Adrian asked, whipping the sweat from his forehead. There was a silence.   
  
"I know!" The four intruders exclaimed as one.   
  
"Ken!"  
  
"Please, no!"  
  
"The brownish-blondish next to Baby Dai!"  
  
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"   
  
"The little one!"  
  
"HEY!"  
  
"Oh! Oh!!!! The guy with glasses!"  
  
"Perfect choice! Let's have him rap!"  
  
"Joe? Rapping?!"  
  
"How 'bout Izzy?"  
  
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"  
  
"Well someone's gotta go!"  
  
"I do!" With that, Mitz ended the pandomonium by running to the bathroom and slamming the door shut behind him. Cody blinked.   
  
"Are you guys always like this?" he asked innocently.   
  
"Every single day," Matt replied with a sigh.   
  
"Can't say we're not the life of the party!" Yaten laughed. "But if no one will sing, then what do we do?"  
  
"I KNOW! Let's sing WHILE PLAYING strip polker!" Kakeyu suggested.   
  
"I can see it now," Adrian said with a grin. He cleared his throat and started singing. "I have a Royal-"  
  
Fluuuuuusssssshhhh.  
  
"Ahhhh..." Mitz said with a relieved smile as he walked out of the bathroom.   
  
"Eh," Tai said, shaking his head in disbelief. Then everyone broke into loud laughter.   
  
"You guys are crazy," Ryn pointed out. "Even crazier than me! Loco!"  
  
"Really?" Indy asked sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Then she looked about impressively. "Let the Otaku Girls show you how it's done!" With that, she grabbed a microphone. "Come on everyone!"  
  
"Please, no!" Ryn complained.   
  
"Don't worry, Jen's a loudmouth!" Indy assured her. The four Otaku Girls (A/N: No Tera yet, sorry-gotta follow the storyline-as is stands, anyway...) took up a microphone.   
  
"Us four against you four!" Kakeyu hollored.   
  
"His grammar is digusting," Izzy said with a sigh as he watched the four intruders pick up microphones.   
  
"Start up a duet or something!" Adrian demanded. Ken sat beside the machine and pressed a few buttons. The DDs cracked up when the music started.  
  
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Adrian complained.   
  
"SING!" Kakeyu ordered as the music danced around them.   
  
"ANYTHING YOU CAN DO WE CAN DO BETTER!"   
  
"WE CAN DO ANYTHING BETTER THAN YOU!"  
  
"NO YOU CAN'T!"   
  
"YES WE CAN!"  
  
"SAY THAT AGAIN, I DARE YOU!"  
  
"Uh, Kakeyu... You're messing up our score... Excuse me... THOSE AREN'T THE RIGHT LYRICS!" Mitz pointed out.   
  
Ken threw his hands up in a panicked way before hitting a button. The music stopped. The machine made an odd, grinding noise, and a minute later two scores showed up.  
  
"HA! WE KICKED YOUR BOOTIES!" Indy shouted when the numbers 27 to 40 showed up.  
  
"You stunk too!" Adrian complained.   
  
"That wasn't singing, it was shouting!" Lily pointed out.  
  
"Thankfully," Ryn cut in. Suddenly a loud knock came to the door.  
  
"Who is it?" Kari asked before opening the door.  
  
"Five of your neighboors! KEEP IT DOWN!" a voice replied.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Kari said.   
  
"Guys, our parents are expecting us now," Matt said, looking at the clock with a frown. One by one, everyone left with their Digimon or kareoke machine in tow.  
  
"Bye Kari, Tai, Tera!" Jen said with a smile. She and Izzy walked out. Now the Yagamis and Tera were left. The latter gave a sigh and moved towards Tai's room.  
  
"You're not going anywhere," Tai told her with a grin. Kari looked at them and dragged the Digimon and herself into her room.   
  
"Tai, your friends are great," Tera said after a brief pause. Tai gave her a pouty look.   
  
"Better than me?" he asked. Tera smiled.  
  
"Of course not," she said, giving him a hug.   
  
"Is that what humans call love?" Agumon asked innocently from Tai and Kari's room.   
  
"Yes, Agumon. It certainly is."  
****************************************************************************  
Jen: It's over. I feel so...light!  
Yama: What a dumb way to end it.  
Jen: If you have a better idea, then let's hear it!  
Yama: ...  
Jen: That's what I thought.  
Izzy: ...It really is over...  
Jen: Well, everyone, thanks so much for sticking with me! You laughed, you cried, you probably insulted me at some point! I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!   
Izzy: In other words, please review now.  
Jen: Yes! And read My Boyfriend's Boxers! It's great! Thanks again, bye bye! ^^ 


End file.
